JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two Black Tennessee House Democrats were expelled Thursday after a protest at the state capitol calling for gun control measures.
It came a week after a deadly school shooting in Nashville.
“Today were being sought to be expelled from this, the People’s House, for speaking up about the need, the need for gun control because we broke some house rules,” former Tennessee State House member Justin Pearson said.
What happened in Tennessee can happen in Florida, according to the Florida State Constitution.
It started with a deadly school shooting in Nashville last week that left three children and three adults dead.
The event set off gun law reform protests on the floor of the Tennessee House of Representatives.
Democratic lawmakers chanted on bullhorns and held signs that said, “Protect kids – not guns.”
On Thursday, lawmakers voted to expel two of their colleagues over the protest. The lawmakers decided not to remove a third white Democratic lawmaker who participated in the same demonstration.
Tennessee GOP leaders said they brought dishonor and disruption to the House.
“I do take responsibility for coming to the well while the speaker said out of order. I also take responsibility for the people in our district and in our communities who are asking for us to do something,” Pearson said.
Florida’s state constitution allows the House or Senate to expel someone with a two-thirds vote for contempt or disorderly conduct.
News4JAX spoke with Florida State Representative Angie Nixon of Jacksonville who said that rule has been in the spotlight in recent years.
“They actually kind of behind the scenes deemed it the Angie Nixon rule,” she said.
Nixon led a sit-in on the floor of the State Capitol in April 2022.
She and other Democrats were opposing district maps drawn by the office of Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Nixon said she believes that sometimes protesting the way she and those in Tennessee did is the only way to get the message across.
“When you’re in what folks call a super minority position, and you see that corporations are actually running the people’s house, you get frustrated, and you have to figure out a way to really cut through the noise. And that’s what those members did. In the South, oftentimes, where the super majorities of Republicans are in leadership, we are seeing that they are not representing the people, they are not passing legislation and policies that are going to ensure that folks are healthy, prosperous and safe,” Nixon said.
News4JAX sent some of Nixon’s responses to Republican Representative Dean Black of Jacksonville to get his response and he said to reach out to Republican Rep. Paul Renner, the Florida House Speaker.
News4JAX also left messages with other local Republicans including Representative Wyman Duggan and State Senator Clay Yarborough.
“What happened in Tennessee can definitely happen here,” Nixon said. “And again, this is why we have to make sure we elect individuals that care about the people.”
Nixon said she was proud of what Democratic lawmakers did in Tennessee and said Floridians should take note.