On Thursday, two Democratic members were expelled from the Tennessee House of Representatives for their participation in gun control protests, which were deemed as a violation of House rules.
Two Democrats Expelled but the Republicans had three on their list.
There were three Democrat representatives, namely Justin Jones, Justin Pearson, and Gloria Johnson, who were being considered for expulsion. Out of the three, only Gloria Johnson managed to avoid expulsion. On Thursday, the first House member to be expelled was Rep. Justin Jones (D), followed by Rep. Pearson as the second.
According to The Tennessean, on April 3, 2023, Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R) said that the votes were not in relation to peaceful protests. He claimed that the actions supposedly committed by Jones, Johnson, and Pearson broke several rules of decorum and procedure on the House floor. The three representatives were reported to have used a bullhorn to lead protestors in the galleries and chant for gun reform.
Action News 5 reported that Jones was expelled with a vote of 75-26, while the push to expel Johnson was unsuccessful as it only garnered 65-30 votes against. Pearson, on the other hand, was expelled with a vote of 69-26.
Before the expulsion votes, Jones, Johnson, and Pearson cast their votes against a school safety bill that proposed adding armed guards to every school in Tennessee.
