Senator Adam Lowe
In just a few weeks Tennessee legislators are scheduled to be called into a special session to address proposals for increasing public safety. Some of the alleged proposals seek to target firearm ownership and extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs). These alleged “red flag” proposals have been subject to great scrutiny, so much so that Governor Bill Lee has been working with a select group of legislators to survey alternative ideas.
Beginning in May, Governor Lee began calling legislators to small group meetings at the Residence.
“There were only five of us in the meeting,” said Senator J. Adam Lowe who represents Bradley, McMinn, Meigs, and Rhea Counties. “I met with him in June and his purpose was to hear our thoughts and concerns for the proposed special session.”
He said, "What Governor Lee didn’t know was that I have not been waiting for this meeting to start preparing for a special session.
“By the time I met with the Governor, I had already completed three town halls, spoken to mental health providers, law enforcement, and conducted a 16-page policy review for the Senate Caucus.”
He said his town halls were held on college campuses in the district and were open to the public. He said the purpose of the town halls was to hear directly from constituents on many matters, not just the special session. His team recorded around 120 attendees from across the district.
“The special session was definitely on peoples’ minds,” said Senator Lowe. “My district was predominately concerned about any ‘red flag’ proposal and very clear that they wanted to preserve their rights to due process and presumption of innocence.”
A college professor of public policy, Senator Lowe said his policy review investigated ERPOs from other states while also looking into safe storage laws, weapons bans, and mental health issues. Though he said his report indicates it is by no means “comprehensive”, it does indicate that it is “directive”.
Senator Lowe said his report was an attempt to ground discussions in fact not rhetoric.
“There are many people seeking to gauge sentiment around the issue but very few seeking to understand if their proposals actually make us safer. After conducting the policy review and speaking with those on the ground, I am convinced that our greatest opportunities and challenges lie in enforcing existing statutes while tackling the obstacles related to the growing epidemic around mental health.”
He said that though his report speaks to the uncertainty of the effectiveness of ERPOs and weapons bans, it also shines light on some areas where legislation could potentially be passed.
“If we can stop the empty rhetoric around ERPOs and gun bans, we might actually be able to make some positive change,” according to the senator.
In his policy review, Senator Lowe recommends policy reforms that target early intervention, awareness education, and improving access to mental health resources that current law requires. Specifically, he said he "sees great opportunity in expanding mental health crisis units in the state, creating transitional licensure for aspiring mental health professionals, educating families on safer storage, eliminating taxes on safe storage devices such as gun safes, and expanding the presence of counselors in schools.
“The data is pretty clear that our best opportunity to prevent homicidal ideations is during childhood. If we don’t target mental wellness in schools, we will continue to be forced to deal within our prisons.”
Despite his findings and feedback from constituents, Senator Lowe said he doesn’t know if he will propose anything during the special session but rather feels "the environment may become too toxic to be constructive."
The special-called session is scheduled for the week of Aug. 21, however a call from the governor has not yet been formally issued.