Why I'm Invested in Advancing Firearm Safety

When friends and colleagues hear I'm working to advance firearm safety in our state – they're surprised, and then curious. Why engage on such a polarizing issue? And why now?

My entire life has been informed by data and science. And today, the data are clear – firearms are now the #1 cause of death for our children, both in Tennessee and nationwide.

And in our state – which I love dearly and am so proud to call home – the data places us at the top of a number of troubling firearm-related lists:

• We are #1 in the nation for the number of firearms stolen from vehicles – over 30,000 stolen in the last decade.

• We have the 3rd highest rate of accidental shootings by children.

• We are 6th in the nation for firearm homicides.

• And we have a firearm suicide rate that's nearly 50% higher than the national average, and we are in the top 10 states for youth firearm suicide.

This is unacceptable. We have reached a public health crisis. I've dedicated my life to improving health and healing – to finding ways to improve the wellbeing of Tennesseans and all Americans – and this data are clear evidence that the time to act is now.

For the decades prior, car accidents were the leading cause of child death. But over time, we passed thoughtful laws that saved lives without restricting our freedoms – seat belt laws, drunk driving laws, car seats, backup cameras. It's time to take the same thoughtful approach on firearms. We can save lives without restricting freedoms.

Two years ago this week, just a mile down the road from my office, six precious souls needlessly lost their lives in the Covenant School shooting.

While there is no single policy change that would have prevented this unspeakable tragedy, there is clear evidence that the three policies the nonpartisan nonprofit Voices for a Safer Tennessee (Safer TN) is working to advance can make a meaningful difference to reduce firearm injury and death in Tennessee. These policies are:

1. EXPAND BACKGROUND CHECKS to keep firearms away from those not legally allowed to own them, including felons, convicted domestic abusers, and youth.

2. INCREASE SECURE FIREARM STORAGE by helping educate owners on how to safely store and protect their firearms to prevent accidents and theft and by providing more affordable, accessible storage options.

3. ESTABLISH A PROCESS FOR TEMPORARY FIREARM TRANSFER that creates a court procedure, ensuring due process, to temporarily restrict access for individuals who may pose a risk to themselves or others.

Why I'm hopeful for the future on firearm safety

First, I'm hopeful because of the growing momentum and new voices asking for something different. I'm a hunter and a gunowner – and someone who had an A+ rating from the NRA when in the Senate – but I'm also a father and a grandfather and a doctor – and we've gone too far. Our children are needlessly dying, and growing up with active shooter drills. This is one of the reasons they're called “the Anxious Generation.” We can and must do better.

I'm also hopeful because we are seeing incremental bipartisan progress, like the federal 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the most significant piece of firearm safety legislation enacted in three decades, and because of changes we are seeing at the state level, like in Tennessee (which I discussed here and Safer TN details here). Lasting change requires bringing together Republicans, Democrats, Independents, gunowners, veterans, teachers, concerned parents and grandparents, and I’m proud of Tennessee for beginning this challenging but meaningful work.

Safer TN Advisory Board member Senator Bill Frist, MD addresses a group of Safer TN supporters in Nashville on March 19, 2025.