On Thursday, April 6, the Republican-led Tennessee GOP held a hearing voting to expel Democratic lawmaker Justin Jones and two other Democrats for their role in a gun control protest. While Justin Jones and Justin Pearson were expelled, Representative Gloria Johnson was not. The trio was accused of speaking out against what they perceived as lax gun control laws in the wake of the Nashville school shooting.Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of gun violence. Readers' discretion is advised. philip lewis@Phil_Lewis_Wow: Tennessee state Rep. Justin Jones, one of the Dems that the GOP is trying to expel from state legislature to protesting gun violence, calls out his colleagues on the floor‘For years, one of your colleagues, an admitted child molester, sat in this chamber – no expulsion’10310731171Wow: Tennessee state Rep. Justin Jones, one of the Dems that the GOP is trying to expel from state legislature to protesting gun violence, calls out his colleagues on the floor‘For years, one of your colleagues, an admitted child molester, sat in this chamber – no expulsion’ https://t.co/KNDrhX3gl1According to CNN, Justin Jones, Justin Pearson, and Gloria Johnson had protested on the house floor on Thursday, loudly blowing a bullhorn as they demanded lawmakers take action. They were accused of inciting disorder and disrupting the proceedings of the House of Representatives.Justin Jones and his cohorts speak out against Republican lawmakersDuring their protest, Justin Jones and his colleagues blamed gun laws on the spate of mass shootings in America. The attack left three 9-year-olds and three adults dead at the Covenant School, a Christian private school in Nashville.CALL TO ACTIVISM@CalltoActivismThere’s something people are missing about what happened in Tennessee. This was personal. Rep. Justin Jones didn’t only protest for stronger gun safety. He was the activist who played a role in the bust of Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest being taken down fromthe… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…136493800There’s something people are missing about what happened in Tennessee. This was personal. Rep. Justin Jones didn’t only protest for stronger gun safety. He was the activist who played a role in the bust of Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest being taken down fromthe… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/uwhvHYuMWtIn the middle of the hearing, Jones justified the protest, arguing that it was necessary. He said:“There comes a time where people get sick and tired of being sick and tired. And so my colleagues, I say that what we did was act in our responsibility as legislators to serve and give voice to the grievances of people who have been silenced.”In response to the hearing to vote for his expulsion, Justin Jones argued that the Republican-led GOP was conducting a direct 'assault on democracy.' He added that even after his expulsion, he will continue to protest against gun laws. He stated that Republican lawmakers had acted dishonorably by refusing to address the issue.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.196974842This 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/z3sNmdKN3oHe said:“I will continue to show up to this Capitol with these young people whether I’m in that chamber or outside."Justin Pearson, on the other hand, argued that Republican lawmakers are racists with a 'white supremacist agenda.' While Justin Jones and Justin Pearson are people of color, Gloria Johnson is white. Johnson questioned whether or not her ethnicity had saved her from getting expelled, despite her also playing an equally important role in the protests.Cameron Sexton, the speaker of the house, argued that lawmakers have no issues against peaceful protests. He claimed that Jones and Pearson were expelled because their demonstration disrupted the house proceedings, and ultimately impeded the efforts of lawmakers to address the Nashville shooting.Victor Shi@Victorshi2020This is Justin Jones. Tennessee Republicans just voted to expel him from the House because he protested against gun violence. Young people are watching. The world is watching. Republicans are going to regret this and pay the consequences. We stand with you, Rep. Jones.4814112822This is Justin Jones. Tennessee Republicans just voted to expel him from the House because he protested against gun violence. Young people are watching. The world is watching. Republicans are going to regret this and pay the consequences. We stand with you, Rep. Jones. https://t.co/LgGBeuQBt5Sexton claimed that rather than sincerely attempting to solve any issues, Jones, Pearson, and Johnson were deliberately politicizing the issue to launch an attack against the current GOP. While Democrats argue that gun laws are to blame for the endemic mass shootings across the country, Republicans primarily argue that the phenomenon needs to be treated as a public mental health crisis.