SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Tennessee State Representative Justin Jones made national headlines when he was expelled from the state legislature after calling for gun reform during a protest on the chamber floor.
He met with lawmakers in California Monday to denounced Tennessee’s actions.
Jones and his colleague Rep. Justin Pearson were both expelled from the legislature for protesting for more gun safety laws after the mass shooting in Nashville. Their colleague, Rep. Gloria Johnson, was not expelled for participating.
“They thought they could bury us underneath their system, and what they really did was water and plant seeds that are flourishing in this nation,” said Jones.
The local districts in Tennessee voted to reinstate the two.
Thousands of miles away from his district, Jones said California has a role to play.
“This issue is not just a single state issue," said Jones. "It's not an issue in one community. We see what happened in Allen, Texas. We see what's going on here in our own communities with with the everyday gun violence that we're facing, and so we know that it's going to require a coalition.”
California lawmakers in the Assembly then voted on a resolution to denounce Tennessee’s actions.
It’s not unusual for California to call out red states. Governor Gavin Newsom does it on a daily basis on social media. This time however, Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher, stood up in support.
“The message of Representative Jones is not just for Tennessee, it's for you. It's for everybody in this room," said Gallagher. "He's in the super minority in Tennessee. He's trying to get his ideas heard. He's passionate about him. I am too."
Gallagher then pointed out bills of his that were denied a hearing.
"I'm about ready to get a megaphone and come onto this floor when it comes to these crisis issues like wildfire and fentanyl and kids dying, and not seeing the urgency that I think is needed," said Gallagher. "That's not really my style, but I guess I can expect if I do, I hope that you guys live up to your preaching.”
Gallagher and Republicans didn’t ultimately vote for the resolution to pass, but they didn’t vote against it either.
Jones is calling for universal background checks, a ban on high capacity magazines and more red flag laws. California already has all of those in place.
While California definitely still sees gun violence and mass shootings, the CDC shows California has one of the lowest firearm mortality rates, while Tennessee is near the top.
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