Here in Tennessee, our gun violence rates are among the worst in the country. 

 

We ought to be able to find our way to common-sense gun safety laws that protect the rights of gun owners and hunters without giving every would-be criminal the right to purchase assault weapons for drive-by shootings and school massacres. 

 

It's time to stop focusing on divisive issues that have negligible impact in our lives when lives are being lost every day because we aren’t tackling the problem of violent crime. 

 

We need to focus on the areas where large majorities of Americans — and Tennesseans — agree on common sense solutions like: 

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• Making universal background checks mandatory, quicker and more accurate;

• Putting tough limits on who can and can't purchase long guns so they don't get into the wrong hands;

• Red flag laws that provide a concerned family member or law enforcement a legal process to prevent a tragedy; and 

• Cracking down on gun dealers who sell to known criminals and felons.

 

We can guarantee the rights and freedoms of law-abiding Americans while taking steps to keep our schools, churches and communities safe.