Gun control protest: Tennessee Republicans expel Democratic lawmaker

The Tennessee House of Representatives, controlled by Republicans, has expels one of three Democratic lawmakers for participating in gun control protest following Nashville school shooting.

The protest was as a result of the killing of some students and their headteacher in a Christian school about a week ago.

Two other Democratic lawmakers face similar expulsion later on Thursday as the Republicans are determined to expel them.

The House voted on Thursday to expel Rep. Justin Jones.

The party-line vote was 72-25. Expulsion from the Tennessee House requires a two-thirds majority.

The CNN reports that the two other lawmakers that face expulsion are Justin Pearson and Gloria Johnson.

Protesters flooded the state Capitol on Thursday as the legislators were set to take up three resolutions filed by GOP lawmakers Monday seeking to expel Jones, of Nashville, Johnson of Knoxville and Pearson of Memphis, a step the state House has taken only twice since the 1860s.

Jones was expelled for inciting protesters to disrupt deliberations on the House floor after three adults and three children were gunned down at the Covenant School in Nashville March 27, according to New York Post.

The newspaper reports that three days after the bloodshed, Johnson, Jones, and Pearson held hands as they entered the House chamber before taking over the well, eventually leading protesters packed into the upper gallery in chants.

The Republicans accused the three lawmakers of intentionally bringing the House into disrepute by participating in the protest.

Hundreds of students, parents and teachers joined the representatives as they marched into the state Capitol to demand stricter gun laws.

The three lawmakers admitted to have broken the the House’s rule by their action in leading the protest.

The so-called “Tennessee three” admitted they broke House rules and stripped of committee assignments and lost ID access to the state Capitol.

Pearson said “Yes, I can tell you we broke House decorum rules, going to the well when you’re not called on, and I understand that.”