Another senseless act of gun violence left another community in Nashville grieving.
Jillian Ludwig had her whole life ahead of her and now, instead of enjoying life with her friends and preparing to go to another concert, we’re preparing for a memorial.
Another life tragically cut short.
It shouldn’t have to be this way.
After The Covenant School shooting in Green Hills in March, it felt like the chance for legislators to finally get it right – to finally take a stand and provide some kind of concrete gun laws to provide protections and preventative measures.
Yet, despite the special session called by Gov. Bill Lee, no substantive progress was made.
Since January, there have been 1,489 children and teens killed due to gun violence in U.S, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
Since January, there have been 84 fatal shootings in the Nashville area, according to Nashville Police.
Since January, there have been 1,337 firearms stolen, according to the Metro Police department website.
We shouldn’t have to feel unsafe in our own city.
There is a solution: gun reform.
There needs to be a baseline. Everywhere you look there are holes in the Tennessee law.
As it stands in Tennessee, anyone with a handgun and a license can openly or conceal carry without a permit.
But it’s unclear how to know if someone openly carrying has a license to carry said firearm.
And Tennessee has no red-flag laws alerting authorities if someone with mental health issues wants to buy a weapon.
Almost anyone can have a gun, and if gun thefts are any indication, almost everyone does.
And those who don’t legally own them steal them.
Last year we ranked No. 1 in the country for gun thefts.
Guns are kept in unlocked cars.
We are not mindful of our firearms.
Tennessee’s lax laws on guns needs to change.
Let me rephrase: Tennessee needs to adopt gun laws.
Tennessee could be No. 1 in responsible gun ownership. We could be the first state to take a non-partisan stand on this.
This should not be a Republican or a Democrat issue.
We don't want to write another tribute story for a student whose death could’ve been prevented.
Nashville deserves better.
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This article was written by Braden Simmons