Republicans who control the Tennessee House of Representatives voted to expel Justin Jones, the first of three Democratic members for their role in a gun control demonstration at the statehouse last week
"It's morally insane that a week after a mass shooting took six lives in our community, House Republicans only response is to expel us for standing with our constituents to call for gun control," Jones wrote on Twitter this week. "What's happening in Tennessee is a clear danger to democracy all across this nation."
Protesters gathered again outside the state house in the rain on Thursday and packed the gallery above the House floor, holding signs in favor of stricter gun control. Republican Representatives Andrew Farmer, Gino Bulso, and Bud Hulsey filed three resolutions on Monday to expel their Democratic colleagues. The resolutions on Monday passed in a preliminary vote along party lines, 72-23.
Only two Tennessee state representatives have been expelled by their colleagues since the Civil War era: one in 1980 for soliciting a bribe in exchange for blocking legislation and another in 2016 after being accused of sexual misconduct by numerous women. Both expulsions were made with overwhelming, bipartisan votes.
The Democratic Party in Tennessee is raising funds to support Johnson, Jones and Pearson in special elections that will take place after the expulsions.
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