NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Democratic lawmakers in Tennessee are pushing for a bill to restrict the sale of guns to people who have been admitted to medical facilities for mental health issues in the last 5 years.
HB 0947 was introduced by Representative Shaundelle Brooks (D-Hermitage) and would make it a Class A misdemeanor to sell, deliver or transfer firearms to people who had been admitted as a patient at a medical facility due to mental health issues over the last 5 years. The bill specifically has an exception for people who were admitted solely for alcohol abuse.
The bill is also otherwise known as “Akilah’s Law,” named after Akilah Dasilva who was a victim of a shooting at an Antioch restaurant in 2018. He was Brooks’ son, and since the shooting, she has fought for reform across the state on gun restrictions…