Voices for a Safer Tennessee believes providing opportunities for nonpartisan discussion about firearm safety issues and solutions is critical to creating a healthier, safer Tennessee.
We help communities, organizations and individuals host events that foster authentic conversations and common ground. From panel events that feature community leaders to coffee gatherings (and everything in between), we hope you will join us at an upcoming event listed below. We also invite you to view recordings of past events, or reach out to us at events@safertn.org if you have an idea for an event. We’re in this together!
Upcoming Events
FEBRUARY 15, 2024 at 6 p.m. CT- Addressing a Public Health Crisis – The Impact of Firearms on our Community at University School of Nashville
Join a conversation that will explore how Tennessee has reached this important moment and what we can do locally to make an impact. USN parent and orthopedic trauma Surgeon DR. Alex Jahangir will moderate a discussion featuring Juvenile Court Judge Sheila Calloway, Safer TN Policy Director Erin Rogus, and USN parent and Chief, Division of Pediatric Neurological Surgery, Dr. Jay Wellons.
Past Events
JANUARY 23, 2024 at 6 p.m. CT- Community Conversation In Shelby County at Church of the Holy Communion in Memphis
Guns are the number one cause of death for children in Tennessee. We are in an undeniable public health crisis. This community conversation will focus on how our state laws have changed over the last ten years to create this current condition and what pragmatic firearm policy is possible to change our trajectory and protect our community. This event will be moderated by Eric Barnes of The Daily Memphian. It will feature Bill Gibbons, President of the Shelby Co. Crime Commission, Beverly Robertson, former CEO of the Greater Memphis Chamber, and Erin Rogus, Policy Director for Safer TN.
November 8, 2023 – Chattanooga Community Conversation at Church of the Good Shepherd in Lookout Mountain
A community conversation on firearm safety hosted by our friends from Neighbors for Gun Violence Prevention with featured speakers from the Safer TN Board, Katy Dieckhaus, Todd Cruse, and Dori Thronton Waller. This non-partisan event was introduced by Natalie Jackson of Neighbors for Gun Violence Prevention.
August 20, 2023 – Faith, Firearms, and Safer Communities at St. Henry Catholic Church in Nashville
A peaceful and civil dialogue with Father Mark Beckman. pastor at St. Henry Catholic Church; the Honorable Torry Johnson, former District Attorney General for Davidson County; Erin Rogus, Senior Policy Advisor to the office of former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist; Dr. Allan Peetz, surgical faculty in the Division of Acute Surgery at Vanderbilt. This non-partisan event was moderated by Steve Cavendish, President Nashville Public Media.
July 26, 2023 – Faith, Firearms, and Safety in Middle Tennessee at First Presbyterian Church in Columbia
A public forum to discuss how policies that promote responsible firearm ownership can improve community safety across Tennessee. This discussion included panelists the Rev. Russ Adcox, lead paster at Maury Hills Church; Dr. CW Ball, Family Physician and Former Medical Director at Maury Regional Hospital; and Todd Cruse, Chairman and Treasurer, Voices for a Safer Tennessee. This non-partisan event was moderated by the Rev. Trent Oglivie, CEO and Executive Director of Columbia Housing and Redevelopment Corporation.
May 22, 2023 – After Covenant: Faith, Guns, & Protecting Tennesseeans at Woodmont Christian Church in Nashville
A public forum with former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, Vanderbilt trauma surgeon Dr. Alex Jahangir, and our senior minister, Rev. Dr. Clay Stauffer. This non-partisan event was moderated by News Channel 5’s Ben Hall.
APRIL 18, 2023 – Linking Arms for Change in Knoxville and Nashville
More than 10,000 people created a three-mile human chain spreading from Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, where victims of The Covenant School shooting were taken on March 27, all the way to the Tennessee State Capitol. The peaceful event served as an expression of solidarity among the chorus of voices who support common sense gun laws this session.