Rep. Clemmons and Safe Tennessee Project Host Vigil and Call to Action on Gun Violence

Aug. 5, 2019

NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) – People in the Midstate are calling for a change to gun laws in the wake of this weekend’s mass shootings.

Monday night a rally and vigil was held in Nashville. Dozens of people attended including some directly affected by gun violence.  

Akilah DaSilva was killed last year in the mass shooting at the Waffle House in Antioch. Akilah’s brother Abede was also at Waffle House that night and survived.

Abede attended Monday night’s event and talked about changes he hopes to see regarding gun laws, especially after this weekend’s mass killings.

“It just re-brought up all the feelings, of the day of when we went through it, because I know what they’re going through, I know what their families are going through and it’s just so tragic because there’s really no words you can really tell them,” Abede said.

Action and change was the message from State Rep. John Ray Clemmons and The Safe Tennessee Project, which held the event.

The two talked about how people can advocate for what’s called “Gun Sense Policy,” a movement to get more responsible gun ownership.

“No one gun law is going to reduce gun violence in the state of Tennessee but we can affect several laws to reduce gun violence in Tennessee,” Clemmons said. “We continue to allow assault rifles in the state of Tennessee and you can also sell them out of the trunk of a car, these are examples of things that should not be taking place in Tennessee.”

Clemmons says this rally was time to start talking about policies, but they plan to follow-up with a round-table discussion with experts, victims and community activists.