Panel to include festival organizers, Tennessee city leaders
Nashville, TN – Senate Minority Leader Lee Harris and State Representative John Ray Clemmons will host a roundtable discussion on gun legislation and possible impacts on local economies at 9:00am August 13th in the legislative library in the state Capitol.
Participants include:
- Adam Skaggs, national senior counsel, Everytown for Gun Safety;
- Toby Compton, executive director, Metro Sports Authority;
- Saul Solomon, director of law, Metro Nashville;
- Shauna Billingsley, city attorney, City of Franklin;
- Brandt Wood, organizer, Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival;
- Jon Phillips and Lee Fling, Axis Security, Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival;
- Beth Joslin Roth, policy director, Safe Tennessee Project;
- James Bolden, director of police services, Memphis (retired).
A recent ruling by the state attorney general found that the guns in parks law applies to many concerts, festivals and public events held in parks, even when local governments contract with private, third-party entities to operate the park.
While Tennessee ranks ninth in the nation for both accidental shootings and shooting deaths, festivals and concerts account for more than $100 million in statewide economic impact.
State Sen. Lee Harris represents District 29 in Memphis and serves as Senate Minority Leader. Follow the Senate Democratic Caucus on Twitter at @TNSenateDems.
State Rep. John Ray Clemmons represents District 55 in Nashville. Follow him on Twitter at @JRClemmons.
