Image Credit: Williamson County Schools – Vimeo & Eric Welch / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Kelly M. Jackson] –
Back on May 10th, Williamson County School Board Member Eric Welch (R-D10-Franklin) posted on his Facebook page in anticipation of his presentation of his resolution at the Williamson County Schools monthly work session.
The social media post stated the following: “In light of the recent and horrific tragedy at the Covenant school and Gov. Bill Lee calling the General Assembly back into special session on August 21st, I have submitted a resolution for consideration at tomorrow night’s WCSB work session expressing support for state legislation creating an Extreme Risk Protection Law in Tennessee.”
Welch went on to say despite the fact that he claims to espouse a belief in “a strict Constitutional interpretation, respect for Mr. Madison’s Bill of Rights, and due process,” he is in favor of Governor Lee imposing laws that would violate the Bruen decision of The Supreme court and strip anyone who would qualify based on yet unknown standards for “mentally traumatized” and “due process” of their right to have access to their constitutional rights, which includes the right to access the 2nd Amendment.
The Bruen decision essentially says that a citizen is not compelled to pass a test in order to prove they need access to their constitutional rights, including the 2nd Amendment. Any form of ERPO (Extreme Risk Protection Order) or Red Flag law would compel exactly that.
Language in the resolution that 2A advocates take issue with includes the section that says:” Extreme Risk Protection laws provide the ability of a family member or law enforcement agent to seek a petition to a court of law to remove any firearms should it be determined that the individual possessing the firearm is a danger to themselves or to anyone else; and WHEREAS, Extreme Risk Protection laws provide the ability, upon petition to the Courts, to issue temporary orders barring a person from possessing a firearm based on a finding that the individual poses a danger to itself as well as the public as a whole.”
The reason for the objection to this language is because the proposed ERPO laws referred to in this resolution lack key elements of actual due process. At a minimum, due process means that a citizen who will be affected by a government decision must be given advance notice of what the government plans to do and how the government’s action may deprive them of life, liberty, or property.
A phone call to law enforcement, based on nothing more than anecdotal evidence, which results in a signature on a petition from a judge that effectively removes a person’s access to their Constitutional rights, falls short of what is considered “due process” in this country. And with no warning whatsoever to have the opportunity to defend themselves before this action is carried out.
In the work session that took place on May 10th, Welch explained that even though Covenant school took steps to be prepared for such a horrific event, that it wasn’t enough. Therefore, the only solution is to deprive people who may exhibit behaviors that might make them dangerous to society because they could have been seeking counseling, or might be taking a specific type of medication, of their access to their 2nd Amendment rights. Without true due process.
In the list of preventative items the school engaged in, Welch neglected to mention that the school did not have armed security on campus that day and based on reports in the days after the shooting, the school was chosen specifically due to the lack of protection an armed guard could have provided. All Williamson County schools have a Williamson County Sherriff’s deputy on site.
However, this session, the Tennessee General Assembly with its Republican supermajority deferred HB1202. The bill would have made provision for qualified staff and teachers to carry a concealed hand gun on school grounds, allowing even greater protection on campuses. That bill was deferred in the Senate until January of next year, again, by Republicans.
It seems that the inability to get 2A legislation passed that can effectively help to protect people, while still protecting 2nd Amendment rights, falls at the feet of Republicans, not Democrats, here in Tennessee.
Grassroots groups in the state have been calling for reprimands of those who are serving in elected offices as Republicans, and who clearly do not support key platform issues like protection of all Tennesseans to have access to their 2nd Amendment rights.
The members of the board who expressed dissent for Welch’s proposal were Dan Cash (R-D2), Donna Clements (R-D8), and school board chairperson Angela Durham (R-D1) who said they would not consider any resolution that not only went beyond their purview as school board members, but also that would attempt to remove 2nd Amendment rights from Tennesseans.
We encourage readers to use the link and listen to the discussion, starting at the 2:42 mark in the video.
If you would like to contact the Williamson County School Board and express your opinion about the proposed resolution, you can access their contact information here.
Welch expressed his determination in the work session, and said he was not willing to “let this go”. He is determined to get something passed, and said he was willing to compromise on some of the language. The issue has not been dropped and will be picked back up at the next meeting.
About the Author: Kelly Jackson is a recent escapee from corporate America, and a California refugee to Tennessee. Christ follower, Wife and Mom of three amazing teenagers. She has a BA in Comm from Point Loma Nazarene University, and has a background in law enforcement and human resources. Since the summer of 2020, she has spent any and all free time in the trenches with local grassroots orgs, including Mom’s for Liberty Williamson County and Tennessee Stands as a core member. Outspoken advocate for parents rights, medical freedom, and individual liberty. Kelly can be reached at kelly@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
11 Responses
Wish y’all’d either put Republican in quotation marks or call them RINOS.
It’s got so Republican is near meaningless.
AMEN! There really is no such thing as “R” or “D” anymore. We have those who believe in our Constitution and those who are supporting Communism.
Some Republicans have the problem of wanting perfection and being extremists – both things are often a mistake. I don’t like Gov Lee, but what he has proposed makes common sense. If a “family member or law enforcement agent” think someone is a risk to murder people OF COURSE guns should be taken from them until it can be checked out – that’s COMMON SENSE.
What Gov. Lee is proposing is reasonable and Repubs should support it as a reasonable compromise. If you say “NO” to everything you are helping the Dems and losing votes for the Repubs. Why didn’t we do better in 2022? Don’t help the Leftists.
If Dems take control, they will ban guns and turn TN into Chicago – it will be 100 times worse than what Bill Lee has proposed – keep that in mind before you throw a fit.
In the article above it says (notice that it specifies a family member or law enforcement) >
“Extreme Risk Protection laws provide the ability of a family member or law enforcement agent to seek a petition to a court of law to remove any firearms should it be determined that the individual possessing the firearm is a danger to themselves or to anyone else”
I disagree! Someone with a personal vendetta against a legal gun owner can ruin a person who had done nothing wrong.
How about this, include a provision to require any doctor or medical person, who is treating a person with mental illness issues to report said person so that said person can not buy a firearm.
Had that had happened, the shooting might well not have happened.
How long do you think it will take for the courts to remove firearms in an immediate situation? “Seek a petition” are the key words here. Republicans want action but this is nothing more than putting a band-aid on the situation it solves NOTHING.
David above is an idiot and a fascist left wing shill.
All these red flag laws will be used for is to harass and take guns from lawful conservative gun owners. THAT’S THE TRUTH.
If you really wanted to address the issue, you’d ban perverts undergoing hormone therapy and mutilation from having guns as they are a hugely disproportionate amount of the mass shooting perpetrators. You’d also ban the entire mutilation industry in Tennessee.
Eric Welsch is another leftist fascist traitor with an “R” next to his name, which unfortunately is a huge problem in Tennessee.
These school board member need to go back to school for they are ignorant to Red flag laws and how they can and will be abused. Here’s a idea what about enforcing the laws we have and not a slap on the wrist and fire up the Electric Chair.
With a government as corrupt as every facet of ours is there’s no way under the sun that this would not be abused to criminalize the innocent and encourage the criminal.
Abuse by some judges and law enforcement agencies all over America is increasing. Why do we allow DemonRats and RINO’s in this great state make that easier to happen here? Those that don’t understand “shall not be infringed” need to be voted out. We shouldn’t restrict gun ownership while violence and an illegal immigrant invasion is reaching a level that we’ve never seen before.
Beware, too, on the national scene, for pretend “conservatives” who support red flag laws. DeSantis in FL comes to mind, and they have them.
Eric can propose red flag laws all day long but parents and the community need to be asking the question – what is he able to enforce on a local level NOW? If he wants our children to be safe and if we don’t agree with him we don’t care about children – then answer the question!! What is the board doing now and how are they able to enforce current state gun laws? His resolution is nothing more than a media strategy to get his name in the news which here we are talking about him publicly. Should a student or someone in the community want to harm themself or a school what action is taken and what is enforceable on the local level? He is clueless how red flag laws work and his resolution clearly states the court or law enforcement need to be involved. That takes time. That requires burden of proof. What happens in an immediate situation where the person DM’s someone on social media like the Covenant situation? We need to be contacting the WCGOP and ask how he was allowed to run as a Republican in the first place.