Restored Tennessee Rep. Pearson charts progressive path

Source: Associated Press

Restored Tennessee Rep. Pearson charts progressive path

By JONATHAN MATTISE
April 18, 2023

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Rep. Justin Pearson never guessed he’d be expelled for leading a gun control protest on the House floor after a deadly school shooting. Nor did he predict that he’d be propelled into the national spotlight, placing his state at the forefront of the conversation on gun regulations.

Activism had yielded results for years for the 28-year-old son of a preacher and a teacher. At age 15, he prodded a school board to get his Memphis high school more textbooks. After college, he fought a planned oil pipeline through wetlands and poor, predominantly Black neighborhoods in the city’s south. The project was canceled in 2021.

The push to boot Pearson and two other Democrats has kept national attention fixed on reliably Republican Tennessee. They hope the pressure from thousands of students, parents and others who have protested at the Capitol for gun control can yield quick change. GOP Gov. Bill Lee has called for legislation to keep firearms away from people who could harm themselves or others. But Republican lawmakers have been noncommittal, and want to adjourn soon, possibly this week.

Meanwhile, it’s hard not to look ahead for Tennessee Democrats. The attention has attracted the kind of campaign cash that has eluded them for years.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/justin-pearson-tennessee-lawmakers-expelled-823ca7d3e9e1a4e9eabafdfd0daa289b