Left-Wing Activists Stage 'Die-In' Protest After Tennessee Passes Landmark School Safety Bill
After Tennessee passed a landmark school safety bill that will allow licensed teachers to carry firearms, a group of left-wing activists staged “die-in” protests at the state Capitol building.
The bill — which passed in the Tennessee House by a vote of 68-28 on Tuesday — allows teachers, principals or school personnel to carry a concealed handgun on school property if they obtain an enhanced handgun carry permit and complete an annual training.
The legislation has faced pushback from Tennessee Democrats who have accused Republican legislators of having “blood on their hands” for refusing to pass strict gun control measures. Protesters led by Rep. Justin Jones — who was briefly expelled from the Tennessee House after he and two of his colleagues led a protest on the House floor that disrupted an official proceeding — has continuously led protests against the school safety bill.
On Tuesday, Jones led a group of protesters in staging a “die-in” protest, where protesters lay on the ground and pretend to be dead, at the Tennessee Capitol. Jones could be seen laying on the ground next to roughly 30 protesters on Tuesday, some of whom held signs reading “Tennesseans don’t want this.”
At least one protester appeared to miss the message about the “dying” portion of the protest, as he could be seen moving around and reaching into his pocket.
The Tennessee House just passed a bill that allows teachers and staff to carry a gun to protect the students. Staff who want to carry must go through 40 hours of gun training and have a psychological evaluation.
Left wing activists including Rep. Justin Jones staged a “die in”… pic.twitter.com/i0XbzuUuPg
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) April 23, 2024
Protesters led by Jones have staged a number of bizarre anti-gun protests on Capitol grounds since a transgender individual murdered Christian school children at the Covenant School in 2023.
In one instance, Jones attempted to bring a child-sized casket onto the House floor. The lawmaker — who was once arrested for throwing a traffic cone at a motorist during a Black Lives Matter protest in 2020 — was attempting to insinuate that his Republican colleagues are responsible for gun deaths in the state.
Justin Jones brought a prop child’s coffin to the Tennessee House today. pic.twitter.com/hY6aumS1O2
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) April 18, 2023
Jones, along with his colleagues Justin Pearson and Gloria Johnson, led a group of anti-gun protesters onto the House floor last year. The protesters demanded an assault weapon ban, and that federal lawmakers from Tennessee take action.
Jones was reinstated on an interim basis until a special election could be held, with Kamala Harris giving a speech opposing his expulsion. He was ultimately reinstated following the special election.