President Biden on Monday thanked three Tennessee lawmakers for "standing up" after they faced expulsion for participating in gun control protests at their statehouse. "You're standing up for our kids, you're standing up for our communities," Biden told Reps. Justin Pearson, Justin Jones, and Gloria Johnson during an Oval Office meeting. The episode has turned the lawmakers into Democratic heroes. Flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden described the expulsion votes as shocking and undemocratic. "Nothing is guaranteed about our democracy—every generation has to fight for it," he said.
The statehouse protest took place days after the shooting at the Covenant School, a private Christian school where three children and three adults were killed. Pearson, Jones, and Johnson approached the front of the House chamber with a bullhorn as protesters filled the galleries. The Republicans who control the Tennessee legislature called for their expulsion because they disrupted House proceedings. Pearson and Jones, both Black, were expelled, while Johnson was not. Pearson and Jones were later reinstated on an interim basis by local officials, and they plan to run in a special election to finish their terms. Harris already visited Nashville earlier this month to show her support.
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