Democratic President Joe Biden called out Tennessee Republicans for expelling two Democratic lawmakers for participating in a gun safety protest in the wake of last month's mass shooting at Nashville's Covenant School in which three adults and three children died.
In a tweet, Biden wrote:
"Three kids and three officials gunned down in yet another mass shooting. And what are GOP officials focused on?"
"Punishing lawmakers who joined thousands of peaceful protesters calling for action. It's shocking, undemocratic, and without precedent."
You can see the tweet below.
Earlier, the Republican-controlled Tennessee House voted to expel two Democratic lawmakers, Representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, for their participation in a recent protest on the House floor against gun violence.
The lawmakers were among a group of legislators who joined the protest calling for stricter gun laws, but only two were expelled. Representative Gloria Johnson, who also participated in the demonstration, survived her vote.
Many praised Biden for speaking out and condemned the actions of Tennessee Republicans.
The vote has been met with widespread criticism from Democrats, who have called it undemocratic and even fascist.
Connecticut Democratic Senator Chris Murphy—a strong advocate for gun reform since the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting—said that "kids in Nashville were just trying to get a bill passed to stop school shootings" and suggested that Republicans were all too happy to make excuses for insurrectionists who participated in the Capitol riot of January 6, 2021.
Biden used the opportunity to once again call on Congress and state officials to pass a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines, as well as other gun safety reforms, such as requiring safe storage of firearms and universal background checks for every gun purchase.
In a longer statement, he criticized Republicans for punishing their Democratic colleagues who "stood in solidarity with students and families and helped lift their voices."
He stressed that a majority of Americans "want lawmakers to act on commonsense gun safety reforms that we know will save lives" while "Republican officials across America double down on dangerous bills that make our schools, places of worship, and communities less safe."
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