Safer TN Tracker | 10.3.26 - Voices for a Safer Tennessee

Fall is in full swing and there is a lot to share. This month, we are welcoming a new team member, recapping a powerful podcast feature, and looking ahead to our final fall events.

Thanks for checking out these exciting updates!

#1 What We’re Tracking: Momentum in September

September was one of our biggest months yet. We welcomed over 900 new coalition members, distributed more than 700 free cable locks to gun owners, and showed up at 25 community events across Tennessee.

Our coalition has now grown to 40,000 members strong, and we have distributed more than 10,000 free cable locks into the hands of Tennessee gun owners since we began. It happens because we have coalition team members on the ground, in every part of the state, who know their communities and show up for them.

We are thrilled to continue growing our coalition team. Mat Pfeffer recently joined us as our Middle Tennessee Coalition Coordinator (more below), and we have just announced that we are hiring a Southwest Tennessee Coalition Coordinator to serve the Shelby, Tipton, and Fayette County region. This is a role we are especially excited about. Having a dedicated staff member rooted in Southwest Tennessee will allow us to deepen relationships and expand our impact in a region that is central to our statewide mission.

Know someone who would be a great fit? We would love an introduction. Email us at info@safertn.org.

None of this happens without you. Thank you for being part of it.

Apply for southwest coalition coordinator

#2 What We’re Tracking: Welcome to Our New Middle Tennessee Coalition Coordinator, Mat Pfeffer

We are thrilled to welcome Mat Pfeffer to the Voices for a Safer Tennessee team as our new Middle Tennessee Coalition Coordinator.

Mat brings more than 25 years of leadership and community service experience to Safer TN. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he served 21 years as a U.S. Marine Corps officer, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel after multiple combat deployments. He later spent six years in the medical device industry and holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma.

Before joining the staff, Mat volunteered with Safer TN for nearly two years, showing up at community events, distributing cable locks, and supporting advocacy efforts at the Capitol. As a veteran and longtime responsible firearm owner, he believes firearm ownership, safety, and responsible practices go hand in hand.

We are grateful to have him on the team. Please join us in welcoming Mat!

#3 What We’re Tracking: Safer TN on “This is Nashville“

Voices for a Safer Tennessee was featured on WPLN’s This Is Nashville, hosted by Blake Farmer, in a conversation about the documentary Louder than Guns and the work happening across Tennessee to make communities safer.

Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show, executive producer of Louder than Guns, joined Todd Cruse, Chairman of the Voices for a Safer Tennessee C4 Board, and Katy Dieckhaus, our Community Engagement Coordinator, for a wide-ranging conversation about firearm safety, secure storage, background checks, and what it really looks like to meet Tennesseans where they are.

A few moments worth highlighting:

Todd shared that 70% of Republican primary voters in Tennessee now support background checks on private sales, up from 54% just two years ago. Katy talked about what it feels like to show up at festivals across the state and have honest, hopeful conversations with people who might seem unlikely allies. And Ketch reflected on why he made the film and what he has learned from listening to Tennesseans coast to coast.

Listen to the full episode

#4 What We’re Tracking: Fall Events

What a fall it has been. We gathered with supporters in Chattanooga and Nashville for our Back to School Bash and Fall Family Fun Fest events, and it was wonderful to be together, meet new faces, and celebrate the momentum this community has built. Thank you to everyone who joined us.

Our fall events continue. We hope to see you at one near you.

Fall Family Fun Fest — Knoxville
Sunday, October 18 | 4:00 to 6:00 PM
Yee-Haw Brewing
Register here

Fall Family Fun Fest — Memphis
Sunday, November 8 | 4:00 to 6:00 PM
Grind City Brewing Co.
Register here

#5 What We’re Tracking: Stories from the Road

At a recent stop in Rhea County, a mother told our coalition coordinator about two little boys who used to live on her old street, boys her own son played with. Not long after her family moved, she saw the news: the boys had been jumping on a bed, unaware of a loaded firearm within reach. It went off. One of the twins didn’t survive.

We hear stories like this one everywhere we go in Tennessee. Every one of them comes back to the same truth: a secured firearm changes the outcome. That is why we keep showing up, keep having these conversations, and keep putting free cable locks into the hands of Tennessee families.

Visit cablelocktn.org to order your free lock.

If you would like to volunteer at an upcoming event or have us speak to your community group, email our community engagement coordinator, Katy Dieckhaus.

Join us as a volunteer, or just stop by to say hello, at an event near you!

October 13: CPD National Night Out, Chattanooga
October 16: Knoxville-Knox County Head Start 3rd Annual Fall Festival, Knoxville
October 17: October Sky Festival, Rockwood
October 18: Knoxville Fall Family Fun Fest, Knoxville
October 22: Sevierville’s History and Haunts, Sevierville
October 30: Healing Hands Health Veterans’ Dental Day, Kingsport
November 8: Memphis Fall Family Fun Fest, Memphis