‘This is a public health issue:’ Community, leaders demand gun reform bills

By , Daily Memphian Updated: July 15, 2023 9:58 PM CT | Published: July 15, 2023 3:03 PM CT

Cars lined nearly a mile of Western Park Drive in Westwood Saturday, July 15, as 455 community members gathered for the eighth annual “Guns Down Don’t Shoot: A Walk Against Gun Violence.”

The 8:30 a.m. event was organized by the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission and had more than 15 co-sponsors from various organizations, including Mount Vernon Baptist Church, Freedom From Unnecessary Negatives (F.F.U.N.), Moms Demand Action, Crimestoppers and Memphis Police Association.


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Bill Gibbons is the president of the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission and executive director of the Public Safety Institute at the University of Memphis.

Wearing a gray shirt with the words “Guns Down Don’t Shoot” in black and red block letters, Gibbons said the message of the walk is significant and obvious.

“It’s a rather direct message to those that are causing the problem,” Gibbons said. “We’re fed up with gun violence. Cease your behavior.” 

Gibbons said all past walks conveyed a message to those committing gun violence that the community is dedicated to spreading awareness of the problem.


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But this year’s walk is more directly focused on demanding government action on the issue.

“Our state legislature needs a sense of urgency to address this problem through appropriate legislation,” Gibbons said. 

Gibbons said one example of proposed legislation to lower gun violence rates include establishing a mental health protection order law so family members and law enforcement can get a court order removing guns from an individual who may be deemed of harm to themselves or others. 

Long term, Gibbons said the crime commission hopes the General Assembly will enact legislation allowing each county in Tennessee the autonomy by referendum of the voters to re-establish mandatory handgun carry permits. 

“Handgun carry permit applications have plummeted, and now, individuals can carry guns openly without a permit, no background check and no training,” Gibbons said.


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“We would hope, over the next couple of years, that the General Assembly would consider changing that to allow counties by referendum to require those state handgun carry permits.”

Many local, state and elected officials were on-site for the half-mile walk, including Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner, Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis, Rep. John Gillespie, Sen. London Lamar and Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy. 

Standing in front of the Charles E. Powell Westwood Community Center and accompanied by 60 Memphis Police Department recruits, Davis said she brought the future police officers to expose them to community crime prevention as early as possible in their law enforcement careers. 

“They need to be in the community before they even hit the streets so they know what this is all about,” Davis said. “This is not a moment; this is a movement. And we can’t stop right here.”


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State Sen. Lamar also spoke, noting gun violence is now the leading cause of death for children in Tennessee.

“This is a public health issue, and the reason we’re gathering here today is because gun violence in Memphis is ravaging our communities,” Lamar said. “It’s out of control, and today we are making our voices heard to let the community know enough is enough.”

Lamar said since she entered the Tennessee General Assembly five years ago, gun violence prevention has been one of her top priorities as she serves a district suffering high rates of gun violence, including Parkway Village and Hickory Hill. 

“There are bodies dropping every day,” she said. 

Lamar said Memphis legislators have called for the Tennessee General Assembly to take away permitless carry and support other options, like deeming gun violence as a public health issue and creating conflict resolution classes for K-12 students. 


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“Continue to support your state legislators as we travel back to Nashville throughout the months to demand common-sense reform to gun violence because I’m sick of our children dying in Memphis, Tennessee,” Lamar said. 

Mulroy said proposed legislation to stop increasing gun violence transcends political party lines and should be a priority for all citizens wanting a safer society. 

“The things we’re asking for are not controversial. They’re not partisan — they’re obvious,” Mulroy said.

He added allowing each county to have autonomy over permitless carry laws will help address gun violence issues more directly. 

“The way guns work out in a rural county is one thing, but it’s a whole different thing here in Memphis and other urban areas. That’s obvious,” Mulroy said. “We either need to repeal permitless carry or, at a minimum, allow each county to decide for itself what those rules are. What’s wrong with that?”

Memphian Dave Carlson made the trek from the suburbs to attend the walk carrying with him a full-sized American flag.


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As he walked down Western Park Drive amid the bustling crowd with many chanting, “Enough is enough,” Carlson said he brought the flag as a symbol of unity and hope for all Memphians facing fears of rising crime and gun violence. 

“I need to come and be here with the flag so we can be united around it,” Carlson said. 

Carlson said while he supports the Second Amendment, each county in the state may need to address the issue of gun violence with their own laws and insight.

“There’s such a difference between urban and rural communities in Tennessee and everywhere across the country. Different communities need different legislation,” Carlson said.

“It may be complicated, and it may be a little harder to deal with, but it’s obvious when you group so many people together and you add weapons under permitless carry into the mix, you have a real issue and a real problem.”

 

Topics

Freedom From Unnecessary Negatives Moms Demand Action Memphis Police Association Memphis Shelby Crime Commission
Alicia Davidson

Alicia Davidson

Alicia Davidson is a lifelong Memphis resident and graduate of The University of Memphis College of Journalism and Strategic Media. When not scribbling about the latest Memphis news, you will find her reading historical biographies, cooking Italian cuisine and practicing vinyasa yoga.


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