Kathleen Chandler Wright

This session, a measure involving background checks became law with overwhelming, bipartisan support.

A new bill would force Tennessee colleges and universities to allow full-time employees to carry guns on campus.

The proposal is overwhelmingly opposed by the people who live and work in college communities.

On April 16, 12-year-old Jajuan Latham was shot and killed in Knoxville after attending a basketball game held in honor of his slain cousin, Zaevion Dobson. Zaevion’s death made national headlines after he died shielding three friends from gunshots. And now gun violence has hit his family again, in yet another senseless shooting.

In the aftermath of any shooting, shock and anger can give way to cynicism. We are told that nothing can stop gun violence. But a different picture is emerging in Tennessee and across the country. The tide is shifting.

A few weeks ago, members of the Tennessee chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, visited our Capitol to discuss legislation that could reduce gun violence in Tennessee. The volunteers talked about how we could prioritize the safety of Tennesseans while respecting the Second Amendment. These conversations never would have happened just two years ago. It’s clear that the norms surrounding gun violence prevention and public safety are shifting.

This legislative session, a common-sense measure supported by Moms Demand Action volunteers in Tennessee became law with overwhelming, bipartisan support. The new policy, which passed with support from law enforcement, requires state law enforcement to inform local authorities when a domestic abuser subject to a final order of protection illegally tries to buy a gun and fails a background check. This legislation is great news for our state, as 83 percent of Tennesseans know that strengthening background checks can prevent gun violence.

Lawmakers passed that common-sense legislation — and they didn’t stop there. They continued to work across party lines to stop a bill that would have dismantled the state’s concealed carry permitting system and another that would have allowed some violent felons to possess firearms almost immediately after serving their sentences.

I’m hopeful that Gov. Bill Haslam will continue the momentum by vetoing another dangerous bill that would force Tennessee colleges and universities to allow full-time employees to carry guns on campus. Proponents of the bill claim it’s a way to keep schools safe, but there’s strong evidence that guns on campus do not make campuses safer, and the proposal is overwhelmingly opposed by the people who live and work in college communities, including the law enforcement officials charged with keeping our campuses safe. We have to trust those who know our schools and campuses best to determine the most effective ways to keep colleges safe. We need the governor to veto HB 1736 / SB 2376.

Tennessee lawmakers have proven that they listen to the concerns of citizens, community leaders and law enforcement when it comes to preventing gun violence. They have to keep hearing us. For Jajuan and Zaevion, it’s too late. But we must keep working together to reduce gun violence. There is so much more we can do.

Kathleen Chandler Wright is a volunteer with the Tennessee chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety.