Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has called for the state legislature to pass a red flag law, which would allow for the temporary removal of firearms from individuals deemed a danger to themselves or others.
“This is not the answer,” Gov. Lee said. “This is an appropriate step.”
This marks a change from his previous stance on gun control, which was strongly in support of Second Amendment rights.
The Tennessee governor’s move comes after a 28-year-old former student and transgender-identifying biological woman opened fire at a private Christian campus in Nashville, killing three 9-year-old students and three staff before being fatally shot by responding officers.
Lee told Nashville, reporters, “I’m asking the General Assembly to bring forward an order of protection law,” adding that 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.”
“This is our moment to lead and to give the people of Tennessee what they deserve,” he said.
However, it should be noted that a red flag law would not have prevented the recent Nashville Christian school shooting, as the shooter had no criminal record and was not on police radar, Breitbart notes.
In addition to this proposal, Governor Lee also signed an executive order aimed at strengthening the state’s system for background checks for purchasing firearms.
The order requires criminal activity to be reported within 72 hours and requires courts to submit information to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation in a timely manner.
Governor Lee is also in discussions with legislative leaders on both sides of the aisle about additional firearm safety measures to be put in place in the state.
In general, red flag gun laws enable individuals such as law enforcement officials or family members to request a court order to temporarily seize firearms from individuals who pose a potential threat to themselves or others. The court assesses the individual’s risk of causing harm with a firearm and may order the individual to surrender their firearm temporarily if the risk is deemed significant.
According to the New York Times, it’s often the case that the request for the order “will come from relatives or friends concerned about a loved one who owns one or more guns and has expressed suicidal thoughts or discussed shooting people. The authorities may also request an order.”
“How long the guns are taken away under these ‘extreme risk protection orders’ depends on the circumstances, and can usually be extended only after another court hearing. The orders also bar the person they cover from purchasing guns.”
