On Thursday, April 6, 29-year-old Tennessee Democrat Justin Pearson was expelled along with two other Democrats for participating in a gun control protest outside the House of Representatives. The protest occurred in the wake of the Nashville mass shooting, which left three nine-year-olds and three adults dead. Pearson and his cohorts have argued that inaction on gun control is to blame for the spate of mass shootings across the country.Trigger warning: This article concerns gun violenceBrian Krassenstein@krassensteinMark this Tweet: Justin Jones and Justin Pearson will be stars within the Democratic party and Gen Z voters will be the worst nightmare for the GOP come 2024, as they help preserve our democracy. Short term gains by the GOP in Tennessee will ultimately lead to generational… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…204883678Mark this Tweet: Justin Jones and Justin Pearson will be stars within the Democratic party and Gen Z voters will be the worst nightmare for the GOP come 2024, as they help preserve our democracy. Short term gains by the GOP in Tennessee will ultimately lead to generational… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/n7c6whdIvSBorn in Memphis, Tennessee, Justin Pearson is known for speaking out against police brutality, environmental exploitation, racism, and lax gun laws. National Public Radio reported that he was sworn into office at age 28, making him the second youngest lawmaker sworn into the Tennessee House of Representatives.Justin Pearson and Justin Jones' role in the protestsIn an interview with ABC News, Justin Pearson claimed that the protest was necessary, as he and his Democratic colleagues have never been permitted to speak out on gun laws in the past. Along with Gloria Johnson, Justin Pearson and Justin Jones entered the house floor with a bullhorn, claiming that Republicans were not dealing with the root of the gun violence issue. Pearson said that he believed protest was a right, and that he never imagined he and his colleagues could get expelled.💙Brittney💙@AZ_BrittneyABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING: Reps Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, who are black, have been expelled from the Tennessee House for protesting against gun violence. Rep Gloria Johnson, a white women, was allowed to keep her seat. This abuse of power and racism by the GOP will not be… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…76692188ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING: Reps Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, who are black, have been expelled from the Tennessee House for protesting against gun violence. Rep Gloria Johnson, a white women, was allowed to keep her seat. This abuse of power and racism by the GOP will not be… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/IrI3Kf5rqvAs per CNN, after the expulsions, the trio were referred to by media sources as the 'Tennessee Three'. Democrats referred to the expulsions as an attack on democracy, claiming that Republicans had overstepped their reach by ousting representatives over a peaceful protest.Joe Biden, the president of the United States, said that the Tennessee GOP should focus on dealing with the Nashville shooting, rather than conducting political moves against their rivals.Biden said:"Three kids and three officials gunned down in yet another mass shooting. And what are GOP officials focused on? Punishing lawmakers who joined thousands of peaceful protesters calling for action. It's shocking, undemocratic, and without precedent."Victor Shi@Victorshi2020This is Justin Pearson. Remember him. Tennessee Republicans just expelled him for protesting gun violence. He — and Justin Jones — will go down as our nation's newest heroes. And young people will never forgive Republicans for this. Thank you, Rep. Justin Pearson.212665225This is Justin Pearson. Remember him. Tennessee Republicans just expelled him for protesting gun violence. He — and Justin Jones — will go down as our nation's newest heroes. And young people will never forgive Republicans for this. Thank you, Rep. Justin Pearson. https://t.co/z3sNmdKN3oCameron Sexton, Speaker of The Tennessee House of Representatives, was firm about his decision to expel Justin Pearson and Justin Jones. According to the New York Times, he likened the protests to the January 2021 Capitol Hill attack. He argued that rather than attempting to solve the issue of gun violence, the "Tennessee Three" were trying to further their own political agenda.The members of the Tennessee Three, on the other hand, argued that the protest was nothing more than an excuse for Sexton and his supporters to oust outspoken detractors. Gloria Johnson, who is white, said that she was most likely not expelled like Pearson and Jones because of her ethnicity. Pearson also argued that the Tennesee GOP was bolstering a 'white-supremacist' agenda.