Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed an executive order to tighten background checks on Tuesday, marking a victory for gun reformers in the GOP-controlled state.
Lee also called upon the state legislature to pass a “red flag” law that will make it easier to remove guns from people who pose a danger to themselves or others.
“I’m asking the General Assembly to bring forward an order of protection law,” Lee told reporters in Nashville, according to The Tennessean. “A new, strong order of protection law will provide the broader population cover, safety, from those who are a danger to themselves or the population.”
Lee’s call for reform comes after a lone shooter killed three children and three adults at The Covenant School in Nashville on April 3.
The suspect in the Covenant case, 28-year-old Audrey Hale, had been receiving treatment for an “emotional disorder,” according to Nashville police, but still bought seven firearms legally in recent years.
The executive order mandates government offices and law enforcement to report all relevant criminal and court mental health information to the state instant background check system within 72 hours of receiving it. The order also gives the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation 60 days to submit a report detailing ways the current background check system could be improved.
Lee’s call for a red flag law presents more of a challenge in the state legislature, where Republicans hold strong majorities in both houses. While an ongoing string of mass shootings and an uptick in gun violence over the last two years has driven reform in blue states, red states have largely continued to embrace efforts to loosen firearm restrictions.
Lee signed a “constitutional carry” bill into law in 2021, which did away with the requirement to seek a permit to carry a gun – a priority among conservative state lawmakers across the country. With the passage of a similar measure in Florida this month, more than half of states now recognize constitutional carry.
Still, Lee says he hopes his colleagues will see a greater need for reform after this month’s shooting.
“I think everyone — leadership from speakers as well as other leaders — have expressed a desire to do something and move forward,” Lee said, according to News Channel 5.
Lee’s support for a red flag law is “encouraging,” Noah Lumbantobing of the reform group March for Our Lives wrote in a statement, but said that Lee should go farther.
“We’re calling on Gov. Lee and the Tennessee Legislature to take on the full scope of measures that survivors and young people have been calling for, including universal background checks, a ban on bump stocks, and much more,” Lumbantobing wrote.
The governor’s reform push appears to nod to public pressure. Last week’s shooting touched off major protests at the Capitol, with demonstrators flooding the building to demand that the body pass gun control measures in response to the mass shooting.
Republicans responded by expelling two Democratic Representatives, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, for breaking decorum during the protests. The two young lawmakers spoke through a bullhorn and chanted before the House chamber. The Nashville Metropolitan Council voted to reinstate Jones Monday, and a similar vote is expected for Pearson this week.