Voices for a Safer Tennessee

Voices for a Safer Tennessee is a nonpartisan statewide coalition dedicated to prioritizing gun safety and advocating for common sense gun laws to make communities across Tennessee safer for all of us.

Media Advisory

Voices for a Safer Tennessee: Statement On Gov. Lee’s Announcement of a Special Session of the Tennessee General Assembly to Discuss Firearm Safety Solutions

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Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Nashville, Tenn. — Following Gov. Bill Lee’s announcement of a Special Session of the Tennessee General Assembly to Discuss Firearm Safety Solutions, Voices for a Safer Tennessee released the following statement:

“We applaud Governor Bill Lee’s call for a special session of the Tennessee General Assembly on Aug. 21 to discuss solutions for keeping Tennessee communities safe. Polling continues to highlight the substantial common ground among Tennesseans of all political viewpoints for meaningful firearm safety solutions, and this special session will make more room for our elected officials to respond to the voices of their constituents. We will be using the coming months to activate more voices across the state and engage in productive dialogue with our legislators about bipartisan legislation that will help make Tennessee safer.”

About Voices for a Safer Tennessee

We are a nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition dedicated to prioritizing common-sense gun safety laws and promoting responsible gun ownership to make communities across our state safer. We came together as neighbors, friends, colleagues, and community members following the tragic events of March 27, 2023, at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tenn. to launch a nonpartisan, statewide coalition to build a safer future for Tennesseans. Together, we are leading conversations, sharing diverse perspectives, and finding commonality to champion change that is agreed upon by people across the aisle. Learn more at safertn.org.

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Voices for a Safer Tennessee Issues: Statement Following Adjournment of Tennessee General Assembly

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Friday, April 21, 2023

Nashville, Tenn — Following the adjournment of the Tennessee General Assembly from its 2023 session, Voices for a Safer Tennessee released the following statement:

“As the Tennessee General Assembly adjourns from its 2023 session, Voices for a Safer Tennessee (Safer TN) wants to first and foremost commend Governor Bill Lee for his leadership and courage in urging our lawmakers to “set aside politics and personal pride [and] to do the right thing,” and for proposing new gun safety bill language for the legislature to consider. This was an important first step. We also thank the legislators who offered their time to meet with Safer TN representatives. We are encouraged by the many productive conversations that took place over the last few weeks, and we look forward to continuing to work with legislators and Governor Lee to further advance their important efforts to better protect our children and our communities.”

“While we had hoped the General Assembly would act more quickly and discuss the proposed legislation during its regularly scheduled session, we respect that many of our legislators need and want more time to educate themselves on how other states have conservatively but successfully protected Second Amendment rights while also protecting citizens. We are pleased that a special session to discuss firearm safety will be convened, and Safer TN will be actively facilitating and participating in further conversations with our lawmakers to ensure that effective measures are taken this year to prevent more unnecessary loss of lives.”

“Alongside Safer TN, we are confident our elected officials will continue to hear from their constituents – including the majority of Tennessee Republicans who polled as supporting extreme risk laws (71%), closing background check loopholes (73%), and safe storage laws (68%). We are parents, neighbors, teachers, and Tennessee voters who are working together toward meaningful change.”

About Voices for a Safer Tennessee

We are a nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition dedicated to prioritizing common-sense gun safety laws and promoting responsible gun ownership to make communities across our state safer. We came together as neighbors, friends, colleagues and community members following the tragic events of March 27, 2023, at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tenn. to launch a nonpartisan, statewide coalition to build a safer future for Tennesseans. Together, we are leading conversations, sharing diverse perspectives and finding commonality to champion change that is agreed upon by people across the aisle. Learn more at safertn.org.

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Voices for a Safer Tennessee: Our Poll Finds Broad Bipartisan Support for Common-Sense Gun Safety Measures in Tennessee

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Data from Conservative Pollster Demonstrates Desire for Immediate Action

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Nashville, Tenn — Tennessee voters overwhelmingly support common-sense gun policies, according to a poll released today by Fabrizio Lee, a polling firm that has polled for President Trump and other conservatives. Voters expressed strong support for extreme risk protection orders, closing background check loopholes, instituting a 72-hour waiting period before a person can obtain a gun, and requiring safe gun storage measures. Importantly, the poll notes support from Trump voters for these measures is strong, ranging from 63% to 84%.

The poll, consisting of 600 likely Tennessee voters, was commissioned and released by Voices for a Safer Tennessee, a nonpartisan statewide coalition dedicated to prioritizing gun safety and advocating for common-sense gun laws to make communities across Tennessee safer for all of us.
The organization, founded by a group of concerned Tennessee mothers, states on its website, “If you believe our children deserve a safer Tennessee, then we are on the same side.”

Support for the following policies was overwhelming among all likely voters and with key demographics—Trump voters, Republicans, Conservatives, and households with guns:

Bar graph displaying survey results for gun safety measures.

These reasonable gun safety measures are currently under consideration at the Tennessee legislature. But time is running out in the legislative session; lawmakers have said they are likely to adjourn on Friday.

“In these times of intense political polarization, it is rare to see any issue proposals that receive such high levels of support from voters regardless of political party or ideology,” said David Lee, a partner with Fabrizio Lee. “The six proposals to address gun violence that we tested in this survey were favored by very large majorities of voters from every demographic group, including Republicans and gun owners.”

“As a bipartisan organization we understand how important it is to hear from voices Tennesseans trust. While other polls have been done, we felt it was important to partner with Fabrizio to show the strong support for these measures across the political spectrum,” said Carlie Cruse, a member of Voices for a Safer Tennessee. “The message to legislators couldn’t be clearer: Tennesseans want them to act now to protect our kids.”

The Fabrizio Lee survey is the third recent poll demonstrating Tennessee voters’ strong commitment to finding workable solutions to prevent tragedies such as last month’s Covenant School shooting, which took the lives of three 9-year-old children and three adults. Last week, Jarrad Inc, a healthcare consulting firm, released a poll showing bipartisan support for enacting background checks, extreme risk, and safe storage laws. An Embold Research poll taken at the same time showed similar results, with overwhelming support for the Tennessee legislature and Governor Bill Lee enacting these specific, common-sense measures.

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Voices for a Safer Tennessee: Community to Link Arms for Change Invitation

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Human Chain of Supporters of Common-Sense Gun Laws Scheduled for April 18

Friday, April 14, 2023

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Voices for a Safer Tennessee, a newly-formed nonpartisan coalition dedicated to prioritizing gun safety, is hosting “Linking Arms for Change” next Tuesday, April 18 at 5:15 p.m. CST.

Supporters will form a three-mile human chain expressing solidarity among the chorus of voices advocating for safer communities across the state through the adoption of common-sense gun safety policies.

“Linking Arms for Change is an opportunity for Tennesseans on both sides of the political aisle to come together to honor the lives lost and impacted by The Covenant School Shooting, as well as all lives lost to gun violence in our state,” said Carlie Cruse, a founding member of Voices for a Safer Tennessee. “This is not a political issue. It’s a public safety issue. By coming together as one, unified voice, we can channel our sorrow into action and advocacy for stronger gun safety measures.”

Approximately 5,000 people will be needed to complete the chain. Supporters are invited to register atwww.safertn.org/event. Once registered, supporters will receive a link with parking instructions and where to stand. All supporters are asked to wear red to honor the victims of The Covenant School.

WHO: Hosted by Voices for a Safer Tennessee coalition, all supporters of common sense, meaningful gun safety measures are invited to join.
WHAT: “Linking Arms for Change” – A nearly three-mile human chain through downtown Nashville expressing solidarity among supporters of common-sense gun laws.
WHEN: Tuesday, April 18, 5:15 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. CST
Attendees are asked to arrive by 5 p.m.
WHERE: The human chain will begin at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and extend to the Tennessee State Capitol.

More about Voices for a Safer Tennessee

We are a nonpartisan coalition dedicated to prioritizing gun safety and advocating for common sense gun laws to make communities across our state safer.

We are neighbors, friends, colleagues, and community members who came together following the tragic events of March 27, 2023, at the Covenant School in Nashville, TN to launch a nonpartisan, statewide coalition to build a safer future for Tennesseans.

Together, we are leading conversations, sharing diverse perspectives, and finding commonality to champion change that advances reform agreed upon by people across the aisle.

With more than 800 members, we are engaging people from a variety of beliefs, backgrounds, and regions.

What we hope to accomplish: During the 2023 legislative session, Voices for a Safer Tennessee is advocating forextreme risk laws that would allow authorities to temporarily remove guns from people who pose a risk to themselves or others, stronger gun storage laws that would require gun owners to provide safe storage and report lost or stolen guns, and closing background check loopholes to keep guns away from dangerous people by closing the background check loophole. Learn more at www.safertn.org.

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