The Tennessee House of Representatives has expelled two Democratic lawmakers over a gun control protest in the wake of the devastating Nashville Shooting.
Dem. Rep. Justin Jones and Rep. Justin Person were expelled from the house, following an ousting by votes by Republican lawmakers, while a third member was spared by a narrow margin of one vote.
The “banishment” option of a fellow lawmaker is used by the House to expel a member accused of gross misconduct or corruption. The option has, however, rarely been used since the Civil War.
The move came after the two lawmakers joined hundreds of protestors at a gun control protest at Tennessee’s State Capitol that called for stricter laws after a shooting at a Nashville elementary school last week left 6 dead, including 3 children.
The lawmakers described the expulsion as oppressive, vindictive, and racially motivated.
“What happened yesterday was a very sad day for democracy,” rep. Jones told CNN. “The nation was able to see we don’t have democracy in Tennessee.”
“I have no regrets. I will continue to stand up for my constituents,” he added.
“We are losing our democracy. This is not normal. This is not OK,” ousted member Justin Pearson told reporters Thursday. He added they “broke a House rule because we’re fighting for kids who are dying from gun violence and people in our communities who want to see an end to the proliferation of weaponry in our communities.”
The third lawmaker who was not expelled is Rep. Gloria Johnson is white. She was asked by CNN how she felt about the incident.
“I am a 60-year-old White woman, and they are two young Black men,” Johnson said.
Republican Rep. Gino Bulso defended the expulsion of the two Black lawmakers, saying that the three Democratic representatives “effectively conducted a mutiny.”
“The gentleman shows no remorse,” Bulso said, referring to Jones. “He does not even recognize that what he did was wrong. So not to expel him would simply invite him and his colleagues to engage in mutiny on the House floor.”
