Tennesseans have different views on guns, but here's how we know solutions are possible

From the urban streets of Memphis to the rural landscapes of Appalachia, guns are a part of daily life in Tennessee, a state in which 52% of adults keep guns in their homes.

While gunshots echo differently depending on where you live (one of us lives in Jackson, the other in Elizabethton), the sounds that rang out on March 27, 2023, reverberated the same.

In Jackson, a stray bullet shatters windows or interrupts leisurely strolls. As kids head to a football game, the stark realization that our geography could dictate our fate lingers in the air. Life presses on, but the repercussions of gun violence remain. Some of us find solace in our mentors and family. Those without these support systems risk becoming statistics.

Travel eastward along Interstate 40 for seven hours, passing the bright neon lights and bustling music in Nashville and The Sunsphere gleaming along Knoxville’s skyline, and you’ll reach Elizabethton.

In this mountainous town of 14,000 people, guns are seen as a source of safety, not pain. People learn about firearms from a young age, whether to hunt for food or shoot for sport. Not just recreational, guns carry with them intergenerational wisdom and a sense of tradition. Our community feels supported by those who carry. We know that if a threat arises, whether at church or the grocery store, we are equipped to defend ourselves and protect others.

Another view: We Covenant School moms invite the community to link arms on March 27 for hope and healing

The 'Tennessee 11' came together to make a difference

In our daily lives, the issues outside our immediate community often feel far away; but on March 27, Tennesseans became inextricably linked when six people at The Covenant School in Nashville were killed by a shooter.

Those bullets fired the wakeup call that while our perspectives on guns may vary, we share common goals. We agree that action is needed to create layers of safety and ensure an event like Covenant never happens again, all while honoring Constitutional rights. To achieve this, we’ve taken matters into our own hands.

The aftermath of mass shootings is a well-told narrative in America. Despite the urgency to prevent future suffering, hyper-partisan gridlock among politicians blocks our ability to solve problems. In the wake of the Covenant shooting, in a state where polls consistently show that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are out of touch with the will of the people, our leaders have failed to deliver concrete solutions to give us hope for a future where gun rights and safety are simultaneously advanced.

We might have fallen for this narrative ourselves. But 11 Tennesseans, including us, have busted the myth that solutions aren’t possible.

How we were able to come to consensus

It all started last August in a small house nestled in the hills of Franklin, Tennessee. We were invited to participate in Citizen Solutions, an effort that empowers citizens to tackle divisive issues. We gathered alongside a firearms instructor, pastor, public safety official, professor, municipal government official, and state trooper.

Our seemingly insurmountable challenge was laid out before us: We would have three days to uncover consensus on gun rights and safety and create solution proposals for both the public and legislators to consider.

Given the toxic polarization that has permeated our state and country, we were skeptical of each other and the likelihood of success.

What could an educator from Jackson (who has lost multiple students to gun violence) and a combat veteran and Second Amendment absolutist from Elizabethton (who lost his best friend to suicide) have in common?

If lawmakers remained at an impasse, what could we, as citizens, accomplish?  We participated to ensure that our communities had a voice.

There was passion, tears, and yelling. We disagreed frequently. But by the end of the three days, we had co-created eight consensus proposals to make our state safer without infringing upon the rights of responsible gun owners. These proposals include allowing courts to temporarily remove firearms from individuals at risk of violence; expanding the roles of School Resource Officers to include mental health and trauma-informed care; and developing gun issue literacy resources for schools, communities, and the media.

We need to have the courage to step out of our partisan camps

More than 30,000 Tennesseans weighed in on our proposals, and five of them garnered majority support, proving that we are not irreparably divided.

On the first day of the 2024 Tennessee Legislative Session, we presented our proposals to a group of Republican and Democratic lawmakers. Now, we’re urging more lawmakers to listen.

The false dichotomy that has long polarized the gun debate does not serve us. While some of us deal with our problems in the mountains and others in the city, we all want to find solutions to our toughest problems. This is only possible when we have the courage to step outside of our partisan camps to find higher ground together.

Jay Zimmerman is a combat veteran from Elizabethton, Tennessee, who works in mental health and suicide prevention. Alyssa Pearman is an educator and youth advocate from Jackson, Tennessee. Both participated in Citizen Solutions, a national civic experiment by Starts With Us that empowers Americans to work across differences to create solutions to divisive issues. 

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Firearms laws: We have different views on guns but agree on solutions