President Joe Biden renewed calls for banning so-called “assault weapons” as he hosted Tennessee state representatives at the White House who were sanctioned by their legislature for leading gun control protests in the galleries of the House, on Monday.
Biden was joined by Democratic state Reps. Justin Jones, Justin J. Pearson and Gloria Johnson in the Oval Office for a media appearance with Vice President Kamala Harris. He criticized their expulsion as “shocking, undemocratic, and without any precedent,” while claiming that they were standing up for “Democratic values.”
Jones and Pearson were expelled from the Tennessee House of Representatives on April 6 after protesters occupied the chamber’s galleries on March 30 and began shouting at lawmakers, demanding they pass restrictions on gun ownership. They chanted “Shame on you!” and “Fascists!” to the Republican representatives, who oppose gun restrictions.
Here at the White House getting ready to meet with @POTUS about the continued call for an assault weapons ban and challenging the assault on our democracy.
From the People’s House to the White House, Tennessee can set the model for the nation. #ProtectKidsNotGuns pic.twitter.com/sGRCT7ofuj
— Rep. Justin Jones (@brotherjones_) April 24, 2023
“We’re here to challenge the extremism we’re seeing across the country,” said Jones shortly before he met Biden.
During this time, the three lawmakers encouraged the protesters to continue and expressed support from the well. Jones and Pearson both used a bullhorn to rally protesters and waved banners from the House’s podium, according to footage of the event released on social media.
Following the incident, Jones and Johnson were expelled from the House, with the resolution citing “disorder and dishonor” during the incident. The vote to expel Johnson failed by one vote.
Both Jones and Pearson were later reinstated as lawmakers by their respective county boards, who may make appointments to vacancies under Tennessee law. At the time of their expulsion, Biden had criticized Republicans for proceeding with the measure, while Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to Nashville to meet the three.
At his meeting with the lawmakers, Biden touted his record on gun legislation, saying that “We have passed the most extensive gun legislation in 30 years.” He stated that Congress needed to pass an “assault weapons ban” akin to legislation he wrote in 1994, which imposed a ban as well as cartridge capacities on magazines.
Gun control has emerged as a top Democratic priority following the March 27 shooting in Nashville, where a transgender and biologically female shooter, Aidan Hale, killed three students and three teachers of The Convent School, a religious institution affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). The incident was the 134th mass casualty incident involving gun violence in the United States in 2023, according to Gun Violence Archive, a data collection group.
A “manifesto” describing Hale’s motives – allegedly found among materials at her home per Fox News – has not yet been released to the public, despite growing calls from Republican lawmakers to do so. At his meeting, Biden did not address the actions of the shooter or answer questions about the FBI’s possession of the materials.
“I’m going to ask the press to leave,” Biden said as he concluded his remarks.
Jones, Pearson, Johnson and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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