Media Advisory

Dear Safer TN Coalition, 

This weekend our Country witnessed the worst possible manifestation of polarization in the form of political violence and an assassination attempt. This is terrifying, and cannot be an option we continue to allow as Americans. In light of recent events nationally and questions we’ve received related to our work here in Tennessee, we feel it is important to provide even more clarity on our nonpartisan organization.

When Safer TN came together in March 2023, we wanted to improve firearm safety in our state by working with Tennesseans to create a Tennessee-tailored solution. We saw an opportunity to take a different approach that could complement the important work already being done by other organizations: building a truly nonpartisan coalition championed by Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike. Since then, we’ve worked hard to live out this approach. 

As co-workers and as leaders who hold different political beliefs, we have regular conversations about what it means to be a nonpartisan coalition in such a polarized, political environment. The reality is that being nonpartisan is incredibly challenging. We know and understand that many of our coalition members vote differently and share different personal perspectives on many issues. However, we are all aligned on one key issue: Firearm-related tragedies in Tennessee have reached crisis level, and we must make change for the sake of our communities’ and childrens’ safety. Reducing preventable firearm-related tragedies remains our north star.

Safer TN works to do that in many ways. The primary ways you’ve likely engaged with us are through statewide education, awareness and grassroots advocacy, which are financially supported by generous donations to two organizational mechanisms – our 501c4 Advocacy Fund governed by our board of directors, and our 501c3 Community Education Fund, hosted by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT).  

In addition to the work of our 501c4 and 501c3, we have an affiliated, yet legally separate, Political Action Committee (PAC) with its own set of officers. Both our board of directors and PAC officers were chosen to reflect diverse perspectives and political affiliations. 

There have been questions surrounding recent contributions our PAC made to incumbent legislators and leadership PACs. We missed an opportunity to educate you about our PAC and for that, we apologize. We will continue to listen and learn as an organization.

We want you to be informed and understand how all three entities under the Safer TN umbrella thoughtfully navigate the realities of our political landscape, which currently includes a Republican supermajority in both the House and Senate. Decisions made by the PAC were informed by legislative activities and, for this round of contributions for the August primary, were guided by the breakdown of party representation in both chambers (the House is 76% Republican, and the Senate is 82% Republican). Ultimately, contributions from the PAC were made to members and leaders of both political parties who worked with us on various firearm safety policies this past legislative session. These donations are for primary elections where many Republicans (and some Democrats) are facing opposition from more extreme candidates. 

Of note, no funds from the 501c3 Community Education Fund hosted by CFMT or grassroots donations into the c4 were used to make political contributions. The PAC was funded by individual donors who made gifts to the 501c4 knowing their contribution would be used for this purpose. Our website outlines the different focuses of each fund. 

The 2024 legislative session confirmed that our nonpartisan, multifaceted approach can work. See our recent op-ed and release on progress made. 

This year marked Safer TN’s first full legislative session in operation, and it was also the first time in nearly a decade that lawmakers did not further loosen our firearm safety laws, and instead reduced firearm access. Together with other advocates, we helped advance new laws (HB1600 and Jillian’s Law) that meaningfully reduce firearm access for those who pose a danger to themselves and others, and we helped stop dangerous legislation that would have allowed the open carry of loaded long guns in public places. This is a win for community safety, and a credit to the tireless Safer TN volunteers and coalition members who showed up at the Legislature day in and day out to monitor hearings and interact with legislators, put signs in their yards, and attended our events.   

These positive developments would also not have been possible without the support of both Republicans and Democrats in the General Assembly and, importantly, the support of their leadership. Our objective of advancing firearm safety laws in Tennessee is one that will take time, and we believe our nonpartisan, pragmatic approach will yield results as quickly as possible. We continue to be encouraged by the growth of our coalition of nearly 30,000 in all 95 counties, the work of hundreds of volunteers, and relationships built across the aisle at the legislature. You are what makes this organization special, and we are honored to have you on this journey with us. We welcome the opportunity to hear from you with any questions. 

Most sincerely, 

Advocacy group grows with statewide expansion of coalition, addition of three staff members and new board members  

Nashville, Tenn. (May 15, 2024) – Voices for a Safer Tennessee (Safer TN), a nonpartisan, statewide coalition dedicated to advancing firearm safety, announced today that the organization has raised more than $1.3 million in donations, a major milestone for the advocacy group as it celebrates its one-year anniversary. The contributions came from nearly 2,400 individual donors in 52 Tennessee counties, reflecting broad support for pragmatic, data-driven solutions to address the public health crisis of firearm injury and death that has reached historic highs in Tennessee.

Since its founding in the wake of The Covenant School shooting in March 2023, Safer TN has built an impressive Board of Directors with statewide representation and hired three staff members to carry out its mission to build safer, healthier communities by reducing preventable firearm tragedies across Tennessee. The efforts of the group already contributed to a number of early successes during the 2024 session of the Tennessee General Assembly, including securing funding to address our state’s background check backlog, enacting legislation to delay legal firearm access for those with violent criminal juvenile histories, and stopping legislation that would have allowed for the permitless open carry of loaded long guns.

“To progress from being a group of dedicated volunteers with a shared vision of a safer state in which we can all live and raise our kids, to a professionally staffed organization with statewide brand recognition and support in just one year is remarkable,” said Todd Cruse, board chair of Safer TN. “The response of Tennesseans who have supported us financially and through actions organized by our coalition demonstrates staying power and unity around firearm safety, and it gives me great hope for our continued progress and success.”

Safer TN was founded in April 2023 as a nonprofit advocacy organization and now includes an educational organization and a political action committee aimed toward supporting policymakers who align with the organization’s mission. Currently, firearms are the number one cause of death for Tennessee children, and the state leads the country for firearms stolen from vehicles. Further, Tennessee ranks 6th in the U.S. for firearm homicides, and has a firearm suicide rate that’s nearly 50 percent higher than the national rate. The strong support to address this growing crisis was evident in the nearly 12,000 Tennesseans who came together for Safer TN’s “Linking Arms for Change” event on the one-year anniversary of the Covenant tragedy, creating a three-mile-long human chain from Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital in Nashville, through Centennial Park, to the State Capitol.

“Nearly 30,000 people have joined our coalition because they share our belief that the growing number of firearm tragedies in Tennessee is a trend that must be stopped,” said Safer TN Vice Chair Nicole Floyd Smith. “Tennesseans from the state’s largest cities and rural communities, many of whom own firearms,

want to enact policy change that will protect our communities while also respecting the Second Amendment rights important to so many Americans.”

The three staff members who are leading the daily efforts of Safer TN include:

Claudia Huskey, executive director – Huskey is a veteran political strategist with more than two decades of advocacy experience in Tennessee, and is a founding member of Safer TN. In addition to managing political campaigns, Huskey has served in senior leadership roles in state and local government and raised millions of dollars for a broad range of causes and candidates. Prior to her role with Safer TN, Huskey was Annual Fund Director at University School of Nashville. She also served
as senior staff for Vice President Al Gore, Tennessee State Senator Lowe Finney and Nashville Mayor Megan Barry. Huskey is on the board of The Women’s Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and is an active member of Woodmont Christian Church. She was a member of the Nashville Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 cohort of 2014 as well as the Nashville Emerging Leaders Class of 2008.

Erin Rogus, policy director – Rogus has worked in political strategy and policy development for nearly 20 years and also serves as senior advisor for former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who sits on Safer TN’s advisory board. She served as a policy advisor for several Republican members of Congress and has extensive policy experience in firearm safety. She was a staffer for the Republican National Committee during the 2008 presidential election cycle and has worked on several statewide gubernatorial campaigns.

Emily Ezell, communications and operations manager – Ezell grew up on Lookout Mountain and in Chattanooga and is a founding member of Safer TN. Following an early career in landscape architecture, Ezell brings experience in social media, marketing, data analytics and project management to help Safer TN expand its nearly 30,000 members into an effective network of volunteers and advocates across the state.