Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action Respond to Reports that Tennessee Department of Homeland Security Investigated 125 School Shooting Threats in Just One Week

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statements in response to the Tennessee Dept. of Safety and Homeland Security reporting that they investigated 125 school threats last week alone. Tennessee Homeland Security agents have investigated 321 reports of school threats from Aug. 1 to Sept. 14. Many of these threats have turned out to be jokes or hoaxes, a growing problem across the county.

“Any situation that involves guns and our schools–whether it’s false alarms or an actual shooting–can leave entire communities traumatized,” said Ibtihal Cheko, a volunteer leader with Hume Fogg High School’s Students Demand Action chapter. “Students like me deserve to go to school without constantly worrying if we’ll be shot. When young voters head to the polls in November, we’ll remember which candidates are fighting to protect us from gun violence versus the ones doing the gun lobby’s bidding.”

“These threats are disrupting school days for students and teachers, requiring first responders to prepare themselves should the unthinkable happen, and often leaving parents to drop everything and rush to their child’s school to hear whether or not their kid is safe,” said Sierra Barnett, a volunteer with the Tennessee chapter of Moms Demand Action. “The reason these threats are so terrifying is because we know that in Tennessee, where we have incredibly weak gun laws, the dangers of unfettered access to firearms is real. Our lawmakers have ignored our cries for change, and our families continue to bear the brunt of the consequences. This next session, we are demanding that we pass common sense gun reform so parents like me don’t have to worry about whether our children will make it home from school.”

Tennessee is all too familiar with the pain of horrific school shootings, having just last year experienced the devastating mass shooting at the Covenant school. Instead of responding to this tragedy with action, elected lawmakers blocked life-saving gun safety legislation while passing a law to put more guns in schools by arming teachers. 

Every year, 360 children living in America under the age of 18 gain access to a firearm and unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else, like a sibling, parent, friend, or another person. The number one thing caregivers can do to prevent guns in schools is secure their firearms by keeping all guns unloaded, locked up, and stored separately from ammunition. Secure storage ensures that children and teens cannot access a gun and put themselves and others in danger. 

In an average year, 1,404 people die by guns in Tennessee. With a rate of 20.2 deaths per 100,000 people, Tennessee has the 12th-highest rate of gun deaths in the US. Gun violence costs Tennessee $18.0 billion each year, of which $415.5 million is paid by taxpayers. Guns are the number one killer of kids and teens in Tennessee and in the country. 

If you are interested in speaking with a Tennessee Moms Demand Action or Students Demand volunteer, or a policy expert please reach out to [email protected].