It happens only in America: How two Democratic lawmakers from Tennessee were expelled for calling for gun control

It’s a no-brainer that America needs gun control. It’s a cause you’d expect lawmakers to put their weight behind. But in Tennesse’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives calling for gun control comes with a punishment – an expulsion to be precise. In a shocking move, Tennessee Republicans on Thursday expelled two Democratic lawmakers from the state legislature. A third Democrat met an almost similar fate but was spared by a narrow one-vote margin.

What was their crime? They participated in a demonstration demanding stricter gun laws in the aftermath of the deadly Nashville school shooting that claimed six lives including that of three students who were around nine years old.

Tennessee’s House of Representatives ousted Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, who are both Black, while Gloria Johnson, who is White, survived the vote on her expulsion.

What led to the expulsion?

The trio joined protests against the Nashville shooting last week as hundreds of demonstrators packed the state Capitol to call for the passage of gun-control measures. As the demonstrators filled galleries, the Democrats approached the front of the House chamber with a bullhorn and participated in a chant.

Republicans have accused Jones, Pearson and Johnson of disruption for a protest on the House floor.

How the expulsion unfolded

Ahead of the vote to expel the lawmakers, Republicans and Democrats hit out at each other as they debated the proposed legislation. The trio entered the chamber together holding hands, their fists raised.

Protesters, several students and parents, flooded the halls of the statehouse, where they have been demonstrating for days, angered by the inaction on gun violence and calling for reforms. “We protect the Tennessee Three!” they shouted, referring to the Democrats, reports the BBC. “Justin! Justin! Gloria!”

However, leaders of the Grand Old Party (GOP) were unmoved. They said action needed to make taken to avoid setting a precedent that lawmakers’ disruptions of House proceedings through protest would be tolerated. Republican Rep Gino Bulso said the three Democrats had “effectively conducted a mutiny”.

As the House of Representatives debated the expulsion, Jones said, “We called for you all to ban assault weapons and you respond with an assault on democracy.” He vowed that if expelled, he would continue pressing for action on guns. “I’ll be out there with the people every week, demanding that you act,” he added.

Bulso accused Jones of acting with “disrespect” and showing “no remorse”, reports The Associated Press (AP). “He does not even recognise that what he did was wrong,” the Republican said. “So not to expel him would simply invite him and his colleagues to engage in mutiny on the House floor.”

During the discussion, Republican Rep Sabi Kumar advised Jones to be more collegial. “You have a lot to offer, but offer it in a vein where people are accepting of your ideas,” Kumar said.

Jones said he did not intend to assimilate to be accepted. “I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to make a change for my community,” he replied.

Also read: America’s Darkest Side: How gun violence claims 114 lives on an average every day

Why was Johnson spared?

The session reportedly lasted seven hours after which Jones and Pearson were expelled. The crowd in the gallery erupted in boos and chants following both expulsions and loud cheers when the vote count turned up just short in the bid to oust Johnson, reports CNN.

After sitting quietly for hours and hushing anyone who cried out during the proceedings, people broke into chants of “Shame!” and “Fascists!”

The split vote drew accusations of racism after Johnson survived the vote. However, the Republican leadership has denied the race factor. House Speaker Cameron Sexton, a Republican who voted to expel all three, denied that race was at play and said Johnson’s arguments might have swayed other members.

“Our members literally didn’t look at the ethnicity of the members up for expulsion,” Majority Leader William Lamberth added. He alleged Jones and Pearson were trying to incite a riot last week, while Johnson was more subdued.

Fielding questions from lawmakers, Johnson reminded them that she did not raise her voice nor did she use the bullhorn — as did the other two, both of whom are new lawmakers and among the youngest members in the chamber. But Johnson also suggested race was likely a factor in why Jones and Pearson were ousted but not her, telling reporters it “might have to do with the colour of our skin”.

So what next?

Expulsion from the House requires a two-thirds majority of the total membership.

The two expelled lawmakers may not be gone for long. County commissions in their districts get to pick replacements to serve until a special election can be scheduled and they could opt to choose Jones and Pearson. The two also would be eligible to run in those races.

Under the Tennessee constitution, lawmakers cannot be expelled for the same offence twice, the AP report says.
Jones said that he was not sure what his next steps were after the expulsion. “I will continue to show up to this Capitol with these young people whether I’m in that chamber or outside,” he told the media.

Pearson said that he hopes to be re-appointed, adding that the “anti-democratic behaviour of this White supremacist-led state legislature” was upsetting.

Also read: Nashville school massacre: Why women mass shooters are rare in the US

How has the US reacted to the expulsions?

US president Joe Biden was critical of the expulsions, calling them “shocking, undemocratic, and without precedent.” “Rather than debating the merits of the issue (of gun control), these Republican lawmakers have chosen to punish, silence, and expel duly-elected representatives of the people of Tennessee,” Biden said in a statement.

Pearson, who is Black, told CNN, “We are losing our democracy to White supremacy. We are losing our democracy to patriarchy. We are losing our democracy to people who want to keep a status quo that is damning to the rest of us and damning to our children and unborn people.”

Lawmakers “expelled the two black men and kept the white woman,” Lamar, a Black woman, said via Twitter. “The racism that is on display today! Wow!”

How common are expulsions?

They are rare.

Banishment is a move the chamber has used only a handful of times since the Civil War—twice since the 1860s. Most state legislatures have the power to expel members, but it is generally reserved as a punishment for lawmakers accused of serious misconduct, not used as a weapon against political opponents, reports AP.

With inputs from agencies

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