Music Business

Can Country Music enact Common Sense Gun Control? 60 top artists pledge to try

Emmylou Harris, Sheryl Crow, Amy Grant, Kacey Musgraves, Jason Isbell, Maren Morris, Margo Price, Kelsea Ballerini, and dozens of other top Nashville musicians have signed a letter and met with Tennesse lawmakers to call for common sense gun legislation.

The letter calls for stronger extreme risk protection laws that allow a judge to temporarily remove a person’s access to guns when there is evidence that they pose a serious risk and the strengthening requirements for securing the storage of firearms. It was drafted after the deadly Covenant School shooting last month.

Other musicians and fans can sign on in support here.

[Full text of the letter and list of signatories below.]

The letter

To Governor Bill Lee and the Tennessee State Legislature:

Here in Nashville, we care about our community, and we look after one another. Some of us are parents, some of us are gun owners, and some of us love to hunt. While we may come from different backgrounds, we all chose Nashville as our musical home, and we’ve built our lives around that. We love this city, and we’re writing to you because we’re concerned.

The tragic shooting at The Covenant School hit us hard. It was a tragedy that shouldn’t have happened. Those families should be enjoying dinner together tonight, but instead, they are grieving, burying their children, or staring at empty chairs around the table. This shooting was preventable.

We all believe it’s time for you to pass common sense gun safety legislation to protect our loved ones. We need to put the safety of our children above politics and special interests. We appreciate Governor Lee taking steps towards creating a safer community against gun violence, however we believe these are only the first steps in improving the safety for our children and Tennesseans. It’s time for you to pass effective measures that will keep guns out of dangerous hands before the shooting starts.

Gun violence in Tennessee is not inevitable. We are not hopeless, and we will not accept inaction. This does not have to be our normal and we ask that you stand with us! We know that gun safety laws work. Policies like extreme risk protection laws and secure storage of firearms, can save lives. And we ask that you keep your session open until these policies are put into place.

Sincerely,

      Allison Moorer

            Allison Russell

            Amy Grant

            Ben Folds

            Ben Rector

            Brandy Clark

            Brittany Howard

            Brittney Spencer

            Charlie Worsham

            Devon Gilfillian

            Drew & Ellie Holcomb

            Emmylou Harris

            Gabe Simon

            Hayes Carll

            Jason Isbell

            Jars of Clay

            Jess Ray

            Jimi Westbrook

            John Tibbs

            Kacey Musgraves

            Karen Fairchild

            Kelsea Ballerini

            Kelsey Waldon

            Ketch Secor

            Langhorn Slim

            Leah Blevins

            Lola Kirke

            Lucie Silvas

            Lucinda Williams

            Lydia Luce

            Madeline Edwards

            Maggie Rose

            Margaret Becker

            Margo Price

            Maren Morris

            Martina McBride

            Mat Kearney

            Matt Maher

            Maxi Diaz

            Michelle Branch

            Mickey Guyton

            Miko Marks

            Nick Howard

            Patrick Carney

            Paul McDonald

            Rodney Crowell

            Ron Pope

            Ruby Amanfu

            Ruston Kelly

            Ryan Hurd

            Sarah Buxton

            Sarah Jarosz

            Shane McAnally

            Sheryl Crow

            Sierra Hull

            Sista Strings

            Sixpence None the Richer

            The Brook & the Bluff

            The Cadillac Three

            The Wood Brothers

            TJ Osborne

            Will Hoge

Bruce Houghton is the Founder and Editor of Hypebot and MusicThinkTank, a Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, President of the Skyline Artists Agency, and a professor for the Berklee College Of Music.

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