Representative Mike Stewart is using an unusual tactic to bring attention to a very serious matter.
He’s hosting a table outside the capitol building where he’s selling lemonade, cookies and an AK-47. Why? Because he wants to highlight just how dangerous the unregulated sales of high-powered, military-style weapons sold with no background checks can be.
Stewart is the Chairman of the Tennessee House Democratic Caucus and today he is introducing HB1319, a bill to close the "armslist/private seller loophole" that allows totally unregulated, unmonitored sales of these weapons. To prove his point, Stewart went online yesterday, found an seller, met the seller in a parking lot, turned over $700 cash and walked away with an AK-47. All with no background check, no questions asked. In no time at all, Stewart was driving away with a weapon of war, several magazine clips and even ammo. Stewart says the whole transaction took less than 5 minutes and he shared a photo of the weapon in the backseat of his car:
This morning Stewart and the Tennessee House Democratic Caucus are hosting the stand in downtown Nashville and they carried the stunt live on Facebook. If you live in Nashville and want to stop by to shake his hand, Stewart is currently at the corner of Union and Polk in downtown Nashville. In the meantime, here’s the Facebook Live interview and more from Stewart on HB1319. Keep up the good fight, Tennessee Democrats!