Reinstated Tennessee lawmaker Justin Jones says he’ll continue to call for gun reform
Democrat Justin Jones, who was expelled from the Tennessee House of Representatives over a gun control protest, has been reinstated by the Nashville Metropolitan Council as an interim representative.
Jones plans to continue his call for common sense gun legislation and has stated that all 15 bills he plans to file will focus on gun reform, in response to the Nashville Christian school shooting that left six people dead.
Jones and Justin Pearson were expelled from the Republican-controlled legislature for disorderly behavior, but Jones was reinstated by a 36-0 vote, while Pearson's vacant seat will be addressed by the Shelby County Board of Commissioners.
The state Constitution allows for an interim representative to be appointed until a special election is held to fill the seat, with both Jones and Pearson able to run in the election.
Jones has called for Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton's resignation, while Pearson has criticized Tennessee's Republican party for not doing enough to prevent gun violence and for neglecting the holistic work of gun prevention.
Sexton has indicated that he will not stand in the way of the appointments if the local governing bodies choose to send Jones and Pearson back to the chamber.
hile the state Constitution allows for members to be expelled for disorderly behavior, they cannot be expelled for the same offense twice.
Jones and Pearson's expulsion has sparked a debate over gun reform, with Jones continuing to push for common sense gun legislation and Pearson highlighting the need for holistic work on gun prevention.
The reinstatement of Jones has been hailed as a victory for democracy and a sign that the movement to end gun violence still lives.
The vacant seat of Justin Pearson is expected to be addressed by the Shelby County Board of Commissioners, who have criticized his expulsion for being conducted in a hasty manner without consideration of other corrective action methods.