The only gubernatorial candidate that has lived in a communist country, Lauren deeply understands why the 2nd Amendment is a critical right that must be protected. Lauren believes that Tennesseans should have the right to own and bear firearms, and should also not be afraid to practice their freedom of speech, freedom of religion, or freedom of assembly for fear of gun violence. Every measure below shares a common goal: We must protect the 2nd Amendment in line with its original purpose to defend personal liberties and preserve human life.
It is nonnegotiable to Lauren that sporting and self-defense remain constitutionally protected as 2nd Amendment rights in Tennessee.
Tennessee leads the nation in the number of firearms stolen from vehicles, and firearm injury has been the leading cause of death for Tennessee children since 2017, just 5 years after the reversal of secure storage legislation. These thefts put guns directly into criminal hands, and unsecured firearms too often end up harming kids. Adults have a responsibility to keep children safe, and Lauren supports restoring safe storage requirements, holding responsible those whose unsecured firearms kill children.
More than half of Tennessee's firearm deaths are suicides, and youth firearm suicides have risen 115% over the past decade. Farmers, veterans, and aging men are hit hardest: agriculture has the highest suicide rate of any occupation in the country, and firearms are involved in roughly three of four farmer suicides. Lauren will expand access to crisis resources like the 988 and AgriStress lines, promote voluntary safe storage and lethal-means-in-crisis options, and make sure Tennessee's farmers and veterans are never left out of the mental health conversation. This is about giving families a way to protect the people they love, and honoring those who feed and defend our state by making sure help is there when they need it.
In Tennessee, federally licensed dealers must run a background check on every sale, no matter where it happens, but private, individual sellers aren't required to, which is the loophole Lauren wants to close. This isn’t about creating a registry of gun owners, but about protecting law-abiding Tennesseans from prosecution when a firearm previously registered to a seller is used in a homicide or other criminal activity. Studies have linked universal background check laws to homicide rates roughly 15% lower than in states without them. Checks mostly take less than 15 minutes, and 99.6% of Tennesseans live within 10 miles of a licensed dealer, making this a practical, common-sense step.
