NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Tennessee MomPAC, a new grassroots political action committee, announces its formation through a series of campaign ads focused on gun reform in hopes of getting people to vote did.
TN MomPAC’s ads borrow headlines and videos about guns and arming school teachers, including one from News 2.
“We’re fighting an issue that almost all Tennesseans agree on,” said Heather Thomas, founder and executive director of MomPAC Tennessee.
Thomas told News 2 the group was formed to fight “anti-family politicians and policymakers.” In addition to gun reform, members will also raise concerns about other political issues in the coming months to encourage voting, including anti-LGBTQ laws, book bans, and reproductive health.
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Although all of the themes the group opposes have Republican support, Thomas said the PAC is not about political parties, but about the issues at hand.
“It’s about anything that’s harmful to our family, to our children, and you know how a mother feels. If something is harmful to their children, they will do whatever it takes to protect them,” Thomas said.
According to the 2022 Vanderbilt Child Health Poll, only 35% of participating parents agreed that schools would be safer if teachers were armed. The largest majority, 83%, agreed that school resource officers make schools safer.
Last year, the General Assembly appropriated $140 million to install SROs in every Tennessee school, but this session also passed a bill that would allow teachers to carry guns on campus. Governor Bill Lee signed the bill into law on April 26th.
Lawmakers who proposed the bill previously told News 2 the bill was enacted to give schools new tools to keep students and staff safe. Educators who carry guns in schools will be subject to strict scrutiny and training based on the law.
“This is designed to help rural counties that feel they need to have a layer of protection in case they don’t have a school resource officer, and even if they do have a school resource officer. further protect and keep our children safe,” Sen. Paul Bailey (R-Sparta) told News 2 on April 30.
“I’m not trying too hard. I truly believe this bill will save lives and prevent the threat of mass violence and mass shootings in our schools,” said Rep. Ryan Williams. Rep. (R-Cookeville) told News 2 on April 15.
But the members of TN MomPAC aren’t backing down. They plan to use the teacher carry law and other laws as issues to push them to the November vote.
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“Those who are not paying attention to the law and are harming our children will be hearing from us in the coming months,” Thomas said.
TN MomPAC’s ad regarding the lack of gun control legislation specifically named two legislators who were not supporters of the teacher carry bill, but who voted for it. When News 2 reached out to a House Republican spokesperson for lawmakers’ response to the ad, she declined to arrange an interview.
News 2 also reached out directly to the two lawmakers named in the ad. One person declined to comment. The other person did not respond by the time this article was published.
