NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A new poll from Vanderbilt University shows support for certain gun control measures could be growing in Tennessee, following the deadly Covenant School shooting.
The poll, conducted April 19-23, involved 1,000 Tennessee registered voters from all three divisions of the state to ask them about certain gun controls.
The poll found 75% support red flag laws to prevent school shootings. In that poll, 72% support red flag laws to prevent general gun violence. It should come as no surprise state Democrats liked what they saw from the Vanderbilt poll.
"It’s telling that the people of Tennessee want to see action on this," said Rep. John Ray Clemmons, who also serves as the Democratic House Caucus Chairman. "We need temporary removal laws. We need to look at high-capacity magazines. We need to look at better background checks."
Republicans were a little more leery about the results.
"I’d love to know what pool of registered voters they used and what specific questions and what kind of lead-in information they provided, but we don’t have that," said Rep. Chris Todd, R-Jackson.
After the interview with Rep. Todd, Vanderbilt provided a copy of the script used to conduct the poll and provided demographic information. Of those who were polled, 371 voters were from East Tennessee, 209 were from Middle Tennessee, 241 were directly from Nashville and 182 were from West Tennessee and Memphis.
Todd says any effort from the legislature will have to protect the Second Amendment.
"One thing I hear from my constituents a lot is they want to make sure we protect those freedoms and liberties enumerated in the constitution," he said.
But he says House Republicans are open to parts of Gov. Lee's proposal for an order of protection law, that resembles some red flag laws. "Most everybody agrees that folks that have certain mental conditions, mental disorders, do not need access to any dangerous tool or weapon, whether that’s a vehicle, whether it’s a gun, whether it’s a knife. That needs to be all a part of the conversation," said Rep. Todd.
It's a conversation that is evidently still ongoing. Rep. Todd explained, if it was up to him, lawmakers wouldn't consider any legislation in a special session this year.
"And even a special session to me is a very rushed situation where the public may not see bills more than just hours before they’re going into committee and possibly even to the floor. And that’s concerning to me," said Todd.
It should also come as no surprise that Democrats disagreed with that strategy.
"We should get together, right now, and work across the aisle," said Rep. Clemmons.
The Vanderbilt Poll also found that 67% of Tennessee voters support requiring gun owners to safely secure firearms, 50% support banning assault rifles and 82% support Gov. Lee's executive order strengthening background checks.
