Justin Pearson has been a long-time champion of gun violence prevention.
Gun violence is deeply personal to Rep. Pearson; he has lost his brother, cousin, classmates, and mentor to gun violence. As a Tennessee state representative, he introduced over a dozen gun safety bills, including measures to ban assault weapons, repeal permitless carry, and expand mental health resources to reduce firearm suicides across the state. Gun violence prevention remains a central focus of his campaign.
Rep. Pearson said:
We have the power to do something about the gun violence epidemic, and we don’t just have to offer some empty thoughts and prayers.
In April 2023, Pearson was expelled from the Tennessee House by Republican members after he peacefully protested on the House floor following a mass school shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville that killed six people, including three students and three school staff members. His expulsion drew national outrage and catapulted him into the national spotlight as a symbol of the fight against gun violence. We need courageous leaders like Pearson in Congress now more than ever.
The Brady Campaign is proud to endorse State Rep. Pearson in his campaign to represent Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.