Protests break out in Tennessee Statehouse As Republicans Expel Dems Over Gun Control Demonstration

Protests broke out at Tennessee Statehouse after two Democratic lawmakers were expelled by Republicans on April 6. The Democrats were expelled for their role in a protest at the State Capitol that called for more gun control in the aftermath of a school shooting in Nashville that killed six people, including three children. A third Democrat was narrowly spared by a one-vote margin. The split votes drew accusations of racism as the ousted lawmakers Reps. Justin Jones & Justin Pearson, are both Black, while Rep. Gloria Johnson, who survived expulsion, is white. Banishment is a move the chamber has used only a handful times since the Civil War.