Last Thursday, thousands of Tennesseans flooded the Tennessee Capitol following the Covenant School shooting. Protestors filled the lobby advocating for gun reform.

State Representatives Justin Jones (D-Nashville), Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), and Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) stepped up to the well during the House hearing, using a bullhorn to advocate for change along with protestors.

Each member is now facing expulsion, meaning they could be kicked out of their positions, and their seats become vacant.

House Speaker, Cameron Sexton stated, “Their actions are and will always be unacceptable, and they break several rules of decorum and procedure on the House floor. Their actions and beliefs that they could be arrested on the House floor were an effort, unfortunately, to make themselves the victims.”

Expelling lawmakers is an extraordinary action inside the Tennessee Capitol. Only two other House members have ever been ousted from the chamber since the Civil War.