Tennesseans: Remove Dangerous People, Not Guns

After the murders at The Covenant School in Nashville, some politicians as well as the gun control industry have been calling for the state of Tennessee to enact a “red flag law”. Indeed, Gov. Bill Lee (R-TN) is threatening a special session of the Tennessee legislature to enact a “red flag law” that he insists is not that.

From Lee’s press secretary to the Daily Wire:

“To be clear, the Governor does not support red flag laws. His proposal is different from any law across the country – it would strengthen Tennessee’s existing law around the order of protection process for cases of domestic violence and enhance support for law enforcement, ensure due process, require the highest burden of proof, and boost mental health support,” said Press Secretary Jade Byers. 

But what do the majority of Tennesseans want?

According to a recent poll by co/efficient done in conjunction with the Daily Wire, 84% of respondents said it was more important to remove the dangerous person than to remove the guns. In my opinion, this is a recognition that those individuals who are a danger to themselves or others will use other means – knives, cars, gasoline, etc. – if firearms are not available and they are allowed to remain at large.

From co/efficent polling:

In the poll, Tennessee voters dramatically retreat from their soft support of proposed Red Flag Laws and do not see this as the solution to their safety concerns when informed that Red Flag Laws merely take guns away from dangerous individuals but do nothing to prevent them from causing harm by some other means. Red Flag Law support erodes even further when informed that there are existing laws to take threatening individuals out of the community right now. Tennesseans largely support recently passed legislation that puts police officers in schools and believe enforcing the current laws on the books is an effective solution to keeping their families, communities, and state safe.

People are not stupid. They recognize when their emotions are being played by politicians, the media, and the gun control industry. Once they have a good grasp of the situation, they usually come to a reasonable conclusion.

H/T Amanda