Silke Jasso
The Democratic leader of Tennessee’s House Democratic caucus has captured nationwide attention after he tried to fight for gun control on Wednesday morning armed only with a lemonade stand. Representative Mike Stewart brought a black market AK-47 to Tennessee’s Capitol Hill and offered to sell it (alongside cookies and lemonade) for $700.
Videos by Rare
RELATED: The CDC’s latest report on firearms might not make many gun control activists happy
According to WKRN, Stewart claims that he bought the firearm “in a parking lot after finding a seller on the internet.” On the sign posted at the lemonade stand, the lawmaker advertised, “no background check.” The stunt was in an attempt to rally support for his bill which “restricts the sale or transfer of weapons to a federally licensed gun dealer where a background check is required.”
Tennessee only requires background checks for buyers who seek to purchase a firearm from a licensed dealer. Many on the left see this as a loophole, as it allows private gun dealers to sell firearms to anybody. In a Facebook Live video with WKRN, Stewart said the current law, “creates a huge loophole for people that are criminals, for felons, to come and buy these weapons that are very powerful military weapons.” The lawmaker also stated that he bought the weapon with “over 500 rounds of live ammunition.”
RELATED: She won six medals for shooting guns at the Olympics–this is what she has to say about gun control
Unfortunately for Stewart, his bill was defeated without even a debate, but he said he is confident that his bill “will pass one day.”
