Crime
Tennessee Makes Guns Legal in Playgrounds, Just a Day After Minnesota School Shooting
In the aftermath of yet another school shooting — this time in Minnesota, where children were left bleeding in church pews — Tennessee faced a choice.
We could have used that moment to pause, reflect, and take meaningful steps to protect our communities and our children.
Instead, our state made a different decision: to allow firearms in playgrounds and public parks.
This decision came almost immediately after tragedy struck in Minneapolis. While families there were still reeling, while children lay in hospital beds, and while parents were left trying to explain gunshot wounds to their other children, a panel of Tennessee judges struck down the law that banned guns from recreational spaces — the very places designed for children to feel safe.
This ruling came the very next day.
If that sounds like a cruel coincidence, it only deepens when we remember our own tragedy here at home.
Just two years ago, Tennessee endured the Covenant School shooting, where three children and three staff members were murdered.
That should have been the moment that changed everything for us. That should have been when the safety of children took precedence over politics and posturing.
But it didn’t. Instead of honoring those lives with meaningful action, our state has continued to move backwards — dismantling protections, loosening restrictions, and signaling once again that the lives of murdered children do not carry enough weight to warrant change.
Let me be clear: this is not about freedom. This is about how many children’s deaths we are willing to tolerate while pretending it is.
I am done with performative grief. I am done pretending this is normal. And I am done accepting the idea that the slaughter of children is simply the “cost” of living in this country.
For 26 years, we have endured this cycle of violence, grief, and inaction. Enough. It is time to do something.
MT. JULIET, Tenn. — Authorities have identified two victims killed during an active shooter incident at Cedar Creek Marina in Mt. Juliet late Friday night.
The suspect, identified as Gary Haley, a convicted felon with an extensive criminal history, is deceased following an officer-involved shooting, officials confirmed.
Mount Juliet Police officers were dispatched at approximately 9:30 p.m. Friday to the Cedar Creek Marina, located in the 9000 block of Saundersville Road, after receiving reports of a man threatening another individual on the docks.
Due to the active shooter report, a shelter-in-place order was issued for the surrounding area as a precaution.
Upon arrival, officers located an adult male suffering from a gunshot wound.
The victim was later identified as Robby Brogdon, who was transported to a local hospital for emergency medical treatment.
Despite life-saving efforts, Brogdon later succumbed to his injuries.
Investigators determined that the suspected shooter had retreated to a boat within the marina and had barricaded himself inside.
The standoff continued for several hours as officers secured the scene and attempted to resolve the situation safely.
At approximately 1:00 a.m. Saturday, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) reported that the suspect engaged responding officers and fired shots at them under circumstances that remain under investigation. Officers returned fire.
The suspect, Gary Haley, was later found deceased aboard the vessel.
During the course of the response, officers also discovered a second adult male victim, Nathan Jones, who had been shot by the suspect.
Jones was pronounced dead at the scene.
No law enforcement officers were injured during the incident.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has assumed responsibility for the investigation, which includes a homicide, an attempted homicide, and an officer-involved shooting.
TBI agents are actively conducting interviews, collecting evidence, and working to establish a comprehensive timeline of events.
Upon completion of the investigation, findings will be submitted to 15th Judicial District Attorney General Jason Lawson for review.
Authorities stated that additional information will be released as it becomes available.