Red-clad Tennessee 'Moms' descend on Nashville legislature to address gun issues

Among the 600 red-shirted Moms Demand Action volunteers that flocked to Nashville on Wednesday advocating for what they called common sense gun laws was Tara Cash.

The Memphis mother's 17-year-old son, Curtis Lloyd Johnson, was killed in 2015 after a friend accidentally shot him. It happened weeks before he graduated from high school.

Her son's friend was never supposed to have the gun, Cash said, which was given to him by a felon. The mother said she doesn't want any parent to experience the same tragedy.

"My son would be proud of me standing up and using my voice," the mother said.

The crowd that descended on Tennessee's Cordell Hull building, filling the hallways and offices of the legislative building with red shirts, set a record for the organization's Tennessee chapter.

Organizers said the group's growing ranks is directly tied to the most recent Florida school shooting that left 17 dead. The tragedy has galvanized many against lax gun laws.

Moms Demand Action organizers said they aren't advocating for throttling back on gun rights, but instead want policies in place that help limit the gun violence that has rocked the nation in recent years.

"We may not be able to ever eliminate mass shootings across the country, but we want to limit intentional and unintentional shootings by ensuring that people with guns are law-abiding citizens, pass background checks and ensure loopholes are closed and lawmakers address mental illness," said Carol Buckley Frazier, a Nashville organizer with Moms Demand Action. 

A group of red-clad volunteers from across the state

Moms Demand Action volunteers came from almost every corner of the state.

Early Wednesday, buses shuttled in red-shirted women, and a few men, from Memphis, Chattanooga and Knoxville to the downtown Nashville area. Memphis, alone, sent over 130 volunteers who gathered at dawn to make the trek.

"I think the Parkland (Fla.) shooting got everybody's attention,'' said Kathryn McRitchie, leader of the Memphis group. "Sometimes, when these national tragedies capture our attention it feels like the needle is shifting. People saying 'Enough is enough' and we don't have to accept this.".

The crowds of people from across the state gathered at the Downtown Presbyterian Church. They then marched with signs that read "Moms Demand Action for gun sense in America" to the legislative building several blocks away.

There the volunteers were scheduled to meet with lawmakers throughout the day. Others testified before legislative committees, offering their perspectives.

In a committee hearing, Rev. Jeannie Hunter of Nashville, a mother who gathered with the group, testified against a proposal from Rep. Judd Matheny, R-Tullahoma, that would allow a permit holder to carry a gun almost anywhere in the state.

Matheny’s bill failed.

The group makes clear they want action 

Although the fight to stop that proposal is over, the volunteers said there are other bills they would like to see fail.

Those include a proposal that would reduce punishments for those caught carrying a gun without a permit and a bill to arm teachers — which its sponsor has delayed in light of a Gov. Bill Haslam taskforce to address school safety.

The national Moms Demand Action group was formed in the wake of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting.

Buckley Frazier said many hoped for changes after the Sandy Hook shooting.

But years of inaction and the most recent Florida shooting has spurred many to renew calls for stricter gun laws. Many gathered Tuesday said they are angered by proposals within the Tennessee General Assembly's proposals to create more lax state gun laws.

Knoxville parent Zenobia Dobson was one of the many parents who said the state's elected officials haven't done enough to protect against gun violence. Her son was a one such victim.

"Stop the violence," Dobson said. "Our children matter and I don't think lawmakers are doing enough. They need stricter laws. What is it going to take?"

Jordan Buie contributed.

Reach Jason Gonzales at jagonzales@tennessean.com and on Twitter @ByJasonGonzales.