Governor calls for action on guns from legislature, TBI

BY MATT MASTERS

Gov. Bill Lee announced on Tuesday a variety of measures to address gun violence, including calling for “new, stronger” order of protection laws, an executive order requiring faster reporting of criminal activity by law enforcement and the courts and requiring the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to review the process for purchasing guns and “operational barriers for sharing information.”

Lee made the announcement during an April 11 news conference at the Metro Nashville Police Department’s Midtown Hills Precinct after he met with law enforcement officials whom he praised for their response to the March 27 Covenant School shooting.

“We can’t stop evil, but we can do something, and when there is a clear need for action, I think that we have an obligation — and I certainly do — to remind people that we should set aside politics and pride and accomplish something that the people of Tennessee want us to get accomplished,”

Lee said. “It’s been a very emotionally charged couple of weeks, but we have to stay focused on the path forward. Tennesseans are depending on us.”

Tuesday’s action comes on the heels of an April 3 joint announcement from Lee and Republican leaders in the legislature of a $200 million school safety investment, which includes funding to put a school resource officer in every Tennessee public school, security upgrades at public and private schools, school-based behavioral health liaisons and an expanded “statewide homeland security network” for private and public schools.

“I said at the time that that bill was the next step but that it wasn’t the last step, and I also said last week and I still say today that we can all agree that it is possible and it is important that we find a way to remove individuals who are a threat to themselves or our society, to remove them from [having] access to weapons,” Lee said Tuesday.

Lee said that this new order