Tennesseans don’t want to ban guns; we want to keep children safe

As a young freshman at the United States Naval Academy (called a plebe) in 2002, I learned a phrase that has stuck with me my entire life.

Most people only know half of it. “Rank has its privileges. Rank has its responsibilities.” It was an early window for me into the dynamics of leadership. The quote generally applies to the military, but it doesn’t spare any man or woman in a position of power.

When I graduated from the world’s leadership laboratory, I was given a commission as an officer in the Marine Corps. I followed in my father’s footsteps as a Marine. It was an honor, but it may come as a surprise to some that my Marine Corps career has led me to support the call for more reasonable firearm safety laws in Tennessee.

In some ways, it’s a surprise to me, too. But my personal interaction with fellow veterans tells me there are plenty of those who have served our country, currently living in Tennessee who are, like me, baffled by the Tennessee General Assembly’s reluctance to take action.

Most Tennesseans of all political parties want better gun laws

The Marine Corps’ commitment to tactical leadership pushes this concept to the lowest level of the organization. From the commanding general to the captain to the sergeant to the lance corporal, everyone is trained to lead in the most demanding of environments. To me and my fellow Marines, it’s very simple: Leaders lead.

Sadly, the supermajority of the Tennessee General Assembly has abdicated its responsibility to all of us by refusing to lead.

Politicians often refer to “mandates from the voters.” Poll after poll shows more than two-thirds of Tennesseans want pragmatic changes to our gun laws, changes that have demonstrably saved lives in many other states.

And most Republican voters in our state support the idea of broadening background checks, promoting secure firearm storage and other measures. For elected officials, supporting change carries less risk than that faced by most lance corporals in the field.

Do lawmakers have the courage to make tough decisions and lead?

Being a leader on this issue does not mean banning weapons to save lives. Memphis and Chattanooga are No. 1 and No. 2 respectively among U.S. cities for guns stolen from vehicles. Nashville and Knoxville are in the top twenty.

Those aren’t rankings you hear policymakers talking about. Removing access to firearms from those experiencing mental health crises would be a “well regulated” measure that would protect the public until that person receives needed help, but even discussing the issue makes knees shake in the legislature. That is a failure of leadership.

Firearms are the No. 1 killer of children in the state of Tennessee. Leaders lead. As a native Nashvillian, my connective tissues to the shooting last March at The Covenant School are deep. We see the grief and trauma faced by children and parents in the wake of lives lost to firearms. Leaders lead.

Recently, a Tennessee lawmaker trying to convince his colleagues to support his bill suggested legislators should “have the courage to put their name next to a yes or no” vote. His caucus leader responded by saying he didn’t believe anyone in leadership “lacks courage.” I hope he’s right. Leaders lead.

The supermajority of the Tennessee General Assembly has abdicated its responsibility to all of us by refusing to lead.