FILE - Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee responds to questions during a news conference Tuesday, April 11, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)

On Aug. 21, the Tennessee Legislature will convene in a special session called by Gov. Bill Lee (R) to address four gun reform and public safety related bills that Democrats call “incredibly disappointing.”

On Wednesday, Lee released a gun reform plan that he is urging the General Assembly to pass. Lee’s proposal includes a law to address safety in the instance of an active shooter and restrictions on mentally ill people from having easy access to firearms. Republicans in the Assembly have been unwilling to restrict gun access for fear of infringing on Second Amendment rights, and they criticized Lee’s proposal as a red flag law.

Democrats in Tennessee are saying that Lee’s proposal does not do nearly enough; House Democratic Caucus Chair John Ray Clemmons said Lee “wilted in the face of the legislative supermajority.” Meanwhile, Republicans reiterated their dedication to not “infringing on the rights of law-abiding Tennesseans.” A poll taken by Vanderbilt University in May suggested that nearly 75% of Tennesseans support a red flag law and say gun reform would help prevent school shootings.

Gun reform has been on the forefront in Tennessee since the shooting at Covenant Middle School in Nashville last March, which left seven people dead. However, despite the massive public support and the national popularity of three Democratic representatives who held protests, the 2023 legislative session concluded without a single gun reform bill getting to Lee’s desk. Republican supermajorities in both chambers of the Assembly will make it hard to pass gun reform, especially with both sides of the aisle so far apart.