President Biden will meet Monday with the “Tennessee Three” who confronted expulsion by state House Republicans in Nashville for protesting within the wake of a mass taking pictures at a Christian faculty, capping the Democratic trio’s rise from obscurity and giving them a platform to name for tighter gun legal guidelines.
The White House says Mr. Biden will sit down with state Reps. Justin Jones of Nashville, Justin Pearson of Memphis and Gloria Johnson of Knoxville within the Oval Office to debate democratic values and a ban on military-style, or “assault,” weapons.
State Republican lawmakers expelled Mr. Jones and Mr. Pearson, who’re Black, from the Legislature for protesting on the House ground within the wake of the March 27 taking pictures that killed three adults and three kids at The Covenant School, a personal Christian establishment. Ms. Johnson, who’s White, prevented expulsion by one vote.
They had been upset concerning the lack of state motion on gun legal guidelines after the tragedy.
“It was undemocratic when they were expelled and essentially ousted out of their seats,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre mentioned Friday. “What you’ll see is the president sitting down with these three legislators, having a conversation on how to move forward with common sense gun reform.”
“He will hear them out, and he looks forward to having that conversation,” she mentioned.
The episode raised the comparatively obscure lawmakers’ profile and made them heroes to the political left in Tennessee, a reliably pink state. Mr. Jones and Mr. Pearson had been swiftly reappointed to their seats.
The White House will present an excellent greater stage for the trio.
Mr. Biden continues to name on Congress to ban assault weapons within the wake of mass shootings, however congressional Republicans say they need to think about different measures that crack down on unhealthy actors as a substitute of lawful gun house owners.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, has referred to as for a particular session in Nashville to debate measures permitting authorities to quickly seize weapons from individuals thought-about a hazard to themselves or others.
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