Hendersonville Standard
HENDERSONVILLE WEATHER

Group demands gun sense in Sumner




Some of the members of the local chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. SUBMITTED

Some of the members of the local chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. SUBMITTED

A group of concerned citizens have organized a Sumner County chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

The organization is a grassroots effort to fight for public measures that can protect people from gun violence and falls under the umbrella of Everytown for Gun Safety. There are nine groups of the organization around the state from Memphis to the Tri-Cities.

The Sumner County group held a meeting in December and by early January, along with the help of the Nashville chapter, the group was organized. Portland resident Kristi Cornett is one of the co-leads of the group along with Jessie McKinney of Hendersonville.

The group will meet the last Sunday of every month at the New Creation Church in Gallatin at 3 p.m.

March 6 is Advocacy Day with members going to Nashville to speak to lawmakers about gun laws and red flag laws, which permit police or family members to petition a judge to order temporary removal of firearms when there are several documented situations.

The Nashville group will go to Washington to garner support for Federal Law: HR8, which updates gun laws for background checks. Local groups will focus more on the state by writing, calling and reaching out to their representatives.

Cornett said, “There is a mixture of people in the group. We have Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Libertarians and gun owners. We have a diverse membership.”

The Be Smart for Kids program, which is also under the umbrella of Everytown for Gun Safety will be the big push for the Sumner County group. They will work to slow the increase in unintentional shootings and teen suicide. Melanie Atkins of Hendersonville is the Be Smart lead.

The goal will be to get the information out about the Be Smart for Kids program by distributing educational materials to educators, pediatricians and to the public through social media and community events. Cornett is a national trainer for social media for the organization.

Be Smart is an acronym for the following goals of the organization:

S – Secure guns in homes and vehicles.

M– Model responsible behavior.

A – Ask about secured guns in other homes.

R – Recognize the risks of teen suicide.

T – Tell your peers to be SMART.

Cornett said, “We all want to see our kids grow up happy and healthy and agree that we each have the right to make responsible decisions on how to protect our homes, families and communities whether to have a gun in our home or not; but if we can prevent even one child’s death from a gun, it’s our responsibility.”

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