Tennesseans, like most people in the South, enjoy their guns. The Second Amendment is a right that most in the state cherish.
But Tennessee’s relationship with guns has become toxic, reaching every corner of the state.
A report by the bipartisan group Sycamore Institute showed about 1,570 Tennesseans died by gunfire in 2021. Gun deaths in young adults have grown the most in the past decade, while gun deaths among adolescents have grown the fastest.
In our state, some perpetuate the false narrative that gun violence occurs mostly in predominantly Black neighborhoods.
But statistics show gun violence is a problem for both Blacks and whites. It is true that 60% of shooting deaths were among white Tennesseans in 2021, according to Sycamore. It is also true that Black Tennesseans had a much higher rate of death by firearms, almost three times higher.