A host on MSNBC said Thursday the proposed expulsion of three members of the Tennessee state legislature for aiding in a gun-control protest that saw demonstrators storm the state capitol was “dangerous.”
“Could there be a domino effect with other Republican-led chambers that are literally silencing and removing lawmakers in this case, those that are just demanding legislative gun reform?” MSNBC anchor Alex Witt, who substituted for Katy Tur, asked. (RELATED: ‘Those Are Just Words’: Tennessee Dem Hammers GOP Colleagues For Offering ‘Sympathy’ But Not Backing Gun Control)
Protesters stormed the Tennessee state capitol March 30, demanding passage of gun control laws three days after Audrey Hale, a 28-year-old female shooter who identified as transgender, killed three children and three adults at Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, before being engaged and fatally wounded by law enforcement.
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Democratic State Representatives Justin Jones, Gloria Johnson and Justin Pearson allegedly took part in the protest, using a bullhorn on the floor of the state House of Representatives, according to ABC News. The expulsion resolutions accuse the state representatives of violating multiple rules of the state legislative body, WKRN.com reported.
“What’s going on today is a disproportionate and dangerous precedent. Typically, expulsion from the Tennessee legislature has been reserved for the most egregious offenses, not even when people are indicted, but when they’re convicted of felonies, that is when there have been traditionally expulsions in Tennessee,” Democratic State Sen. Ryan Yarbro, said. “Because three members in the midst of a gun violence epidemic and national tragedy joined with protests to demand change, that is an abhorrent reason to consider removing them from office.”
“It’s completely dangerous, and it’s horrifying because it’s anti-democratic. Our leaders are listening to us, trying to listen to us and amplify our voices. They are then being silenced and going so far as to potentially expelling them just in a few moments,” Micah Brooks, an activist with March for our Lives who organized the March 30 protest, told Witt. “This is completely horrifying, and it’s not acceptable.”
Jones was expelled from the Tennessee State House of Representatives Thursday, MSNBC reported on air. Johnson and Pearson are awaiting their votes at the time of publication.
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