# March 30, 2023 Protest at (Tennessee) Capitol--The way to do it

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-30-2023-protest-at-tennessee-capitol-the-way-to-do-it/981994>\
**Category:** Politics & Elections\
**Created:** [April 1, 2023, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-30-2023-protest-at-tennessee-capitol-the-way-to-do-it/981994 "2023-04-01T16:24:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2023, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-30-2023-protest-at-tennessee-capitol-the-way-to-do-it/981994/1 "2023-04-01T16:24:45Z")

</div>

Although not widely reported in the national media, there was a [protest](https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2023/03/31/democrats-blast-gop-claim-that-tennessee-gun-protest-was-an-insurrection/70069440007/) at the Tennessee Capitol building on Thursday (I guess Trump’s indictment knocked it out of the news cycle). Reportedly, over a thousand men, women, and children went to the Capitol, passed through security checkpoints, with hundreds of them making their way to the second floor to plead with the lawmakers on their way to House Chamber to enact sensible gun control measures, in response to the Covenant School shooting earlier in the week.

> **['They're begging us to do something': Nashville lawmaker calls for gun reform...](https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2023/03/30/after-nashville-school-shooting-hundreds-demand-gun-reform-in-nashville/70063649007/)**
>
> People clogged Capitol hallways and filled chamber galleries as they called for "common sense" gun reform in the wake of the Covenant shooting.

The citizens did not try to breach the House Chamber (contrary to comments made by TN House Speaker Cameron Sexton), there was no property damage, no injuries reported, and nobody was arrested, although the Tennessee Highway Patrol was present and maintaining control of the situation.

Of course, the Republican lawmakers used the situation to add their own spin and spread misinformation:

> “Two of the members, Representative (Justin) Jones and Representative (Gloria) Johnson, have been very vocal about Jan. 6 in Washington, D.C., about what that was,” [House Speaker Cameron] Sexton said. “And what they did today was at least equivalent —maybe worse depending on how you look at it — of doing an insurrection in the Capitol.”

Yep, worse than Jan. 6 (maybe). Worse for Tennessee’s Republican-heavy legislature, I guess.

So, yes, you can protest your government, with a mob, at the Capitol, without engaging in insurrection.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TruePisces](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/truepisces/32/13628_2.png) [@TruePisces](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruePisces)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2023, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-30-2023-protest-at-tennessee-capitol-the-way-to-do-it/981994/2 "2023-04-01T17:20:08Z")

</div>

I am so very proud of our kids for doing this right. A large number of students from my eldest’s school went and were among those 1000s. As far as Sexton is concerned, nothing that comes out of that man’s mouth surprises me, unless it’s the truth. He’s talking about trying to oust Jones, Johnson and Pearson for daring to speak out of order on the House Floor. I suspecr if he tries to get Jones removed (who happens to be the representative for my district), they’d be getting even more protesters.