There are times when politics might seem pretty simple. People either support a policy or they don't. There might be some nuance there, but it's usually just on a spectrum, right?
Not really. Things are a lot more complicated and when you start talking about gun policy, things get ridiculous rather quickly, and there's always a certain amount of self-delusion among some parties.
In the wake of the 2024 elections, it's not surprising that a lot of Democrats are licking their wounds and trying to put a positive spin on things.
But this one kind of takes the cake.
One thing is clear coming out of Tennessee’s recent election cycle: where gun control was on the ballot, gun control won.
OK, I had to stop and laugh after just the first line, but let's see where he's going on this one.
Instances in which Tennesseans were asked to cast their votes in favor of gun reform laws and candidates were few, but significant – and supported by voters across the political spectrum.
Furthermore, a recent survey conducted just prior to the election shows significant support among all Tennesseans for stricter gun legislation.
I believe these are bellwethers, giving hope to millions statewide who want to protect the right to gun ownership while putting sensible laws in place that protect public safety.
Let’s start in the west and move east.
Vast majority of Memphians want stricter firearms laws
In Memphis, which recorded 399 homicides in 2023 alone, voters overwhelmingly passed three referenda that, though likely unenforceable, are the resounding cry of people demanding common-sense reform:
- 81% of voters wanted a ban on carrying a gun without a permit.
- 80% of voters wanted to ban assault weapons and stop their sale in Memphis.
- 84% of voters wanted “red flag” laws to block the sale of guns to people deemed dangerous to themselves or others.
Though the measures received bipartisan support from state legislators representing Memphis, out-of-state gun rights groups immediately filed suit against the city and some Republican state lawmakers derided the referenda; one even called them “as meaningless as a nutrition chart on a bag of ice.”
Because it was.
The referendum didn't contain anything actionable. It's not binding and it didn't delve into enough specifics so that a vote in the referendum would actually provide any guidance on just what laws they'd tolerate even if something were passed.
But wait, there's more.
Waffle House shooting victim's mother was sent to the legislature
Now let’s head to Nashville, where Democrat Shaundelle Brooks, the mother of one of the victims of the city’s Waffle House mass shooting in 2018 and a champion of gun reform, beat Republican Chad Bobo by 10 points to win the District 60 House seat.
That's right, a single seat in the state House flipped. Also, a poll came out showing support for red flag laws.
Pretty compelling stuff, right?
Wrong.
First, let's remember that gun control was an issue in the presidential campaign, with Donald Trump taking a strong pro-Second Amendment stance. He won the state by nearly 30 points. That's pretty convincing all on its own.
Granted, guns weren't the only issue in the presidential race.
However, the state's Senate campaign featured one of three state lawmakers who made an ass of themselves over the issue of gun control. Gloria Johnson thought she had a shot at representing Tennessee in the Senate. Instead, she also lost by nearly 30 points.
See, when you cherry-pick a couple of hyper-local examples in the election, it's easy to find wins on gun control. Just about every state has some blue areas, after all--Oklahoma being a notable exception. But when you look at the statewide races where guns played any kind of issue, Tennessee soundly rejected the anti-gun candidates.
To claim otherwise is either lying or, if you actually believe what you're saying, self-delusion.
Gun control got trounced all over the nation, and pro-gun Tennessee was no exception.
