Tennessee expels two Democratic congressmen for protesting gun control

The House of Representatives of the state of Tennessee in the United States voted in favor expel two Democratic congressmen for participating in protests in favor of gun controlafter an attack at a school in Nashville, the state capital, in which six people, three of them children, were killed.

On Thursday of last week, dozens of protesters entered the House, with a Republican majority, to protest in favor of more regulation in gun controlespecially automatic ones like the one used in the attack on the school in Nashville a few days before.

Three congressmen from the Democratic Party were among the protesters, and the other congressmen who were in the House did not recognize them at first, according to the American network CNN.

Controversy arose when, days later, Republican congressmen accused the three Democrats of taking part in the protests, showing videos in which they could be identified, and began a process that allows them to be expelled by a two-thirds majority vote, a measure that has been in place since 1860. only used twice.

One of the votes did not reach enough agreement to expel Congresswoman Gloria Johnson, who also noted that her expulsion, as the only white congresswoman among the three indicted, was also the only one that was not carried out.

Justin Jones and Justin Pearson will not be able to continue their work in the federal Congress, but have reaffirmed their commitment American gun law reform. “We called for an assault weapons ban, and you responded with an attack on democracy,” Jones repeated in his on-camera speech before the vote.

The White House, through its spokeswoman, Karine Jean-Pierre, condemned this possible expulsion a few hours before the vote: “That this vote will take place is alarming, undemocratic and unprecedented. Across Tennessee and across America, our boys and girls are paying the price for the actions of Republican lawmakers who continue to refuse to act to create stricter gun laws.”

“The President (Joe Biden) will continue to ask Congress to act on the assault weapons ban (…) and federal officials should do the same,” he said.