One year after expressing opposition to stricter gun regulations, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) issued an executive order to enhance the state’s background check process for buying firearms and urged legislators to approve a “red flag” law that would prevent individuals at-risk of violence from possessing guns. This move follows a fatal school shooting in Nashville that occurred last month.
“I’m asking the General Assembly to bring forward an order of protection law,” Lee said at a news conference. “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.”
Gov. Lee expressed his desire for lawmakers to pass the legislation during the current legislative session, which concludes in a few weeks.
Under the executive order, all crimes must be reported to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation within 72 hours, and subsequently processed in a timely, complete, and accurate manner into the state’s background check system.
Additionally, the state investigative service must review the process for purchasing firearms and provide a report with recommendations for any necessary changes to Gov. Lee and the state legislature within 60 days.
SEE ALSO: DOJ Announces $200 Million Spend on Red Flag Laws
Lee said new restrictions, aimed at controlling gun ownership, would “give the people of Tennessee what they deserve,” which is a stark contrast to what he said last year.
“We’re not looking at gun restriction laws in my administration right now. There’s one thing to remember, criminals don’t follow the laws. Criminals break laws,” Lee told reporters in a conference last June. “We can’t control what we can’t control.”
Gov. Lee also previously proposed legislation to enhance school safety, including a new budget with funds directed toward increasing school security. Like the majority of Tennessee representatives, Lee seems to be on an emotional rollercoaster.
After demands for stricter gun regulations in response to the most recent Nashville shooting, three Democratic state representatives staged a protest on the House floor using a bullhorn, which infuriated Republicans. As a result, two of the representatives were expelled from the House last week.
“We should set aside politics and pride,” Lee said in a press conference Tuesday at the Midtown Hills police station in Nashville, which responded to the shooting at Covenant School last month.
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