Tom Pappert | Tennessee Star
Despite previously blaming Tennessee’s “white patriarchy” for blocking the implementation of red flag laws and other gun control legislation last year, on Monday the Democrat challenging Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional district for the Volunteer State’s “generations of responsible gun owners,” and suggested federal gun control legislation she would only target “irresponsible” gun owners.
Gun control activist Maryam Abolfazli, who received the Democratic Party’s nomination to challenge Ogles earlier this month, made the remarks to WLPN News.
“Tennessee is known and made up of generations of responsible gun owners,” Abolfazli told the outlet, later asserting, “We actually just have to make sure that irresponsible gun owners do not get them. So, I think background checks is a great start.”
Abolfazli earlier stated that “[s]afety for our kids” would be her first priority if voters in Middle Tennessee send her to Washington, D.C. in November, and appeared to reference her activism during the special legislative session called last year to address calls for gun control in the wake of the Covenant School shooting that occurred on March 27, 2023.
The legislative session ultimately concluded without the passage of a red flag bill, or any other gun control legislation, which apparently prompted Abolfazli’s August 2023 opinion article, “The white patriarchy in Tennessee,” which was published by The Tennessee Lookout.
In her article, the Democrat appeared to suggest white patriarchy was responsible for the defeat of gun control activists’ legislative agenda, rules preventing spectators from carrying signs into the Tennessee House of Representatives gallery, and the removal of one protester who refused to comply with the rule.
“Fighting this patriarchy isn’t binary or a one-time thing. It is a process, but the compass remains the same, listening to the truth inside. It is different for everyone, depending on one’s relative privilege in our society,” Abolfazli wrote of her experience advocating for gun laws.
After the conclusion of the legislative session, Abolfazli was one of the plaintiffs who sued in a bid to reverse the policy, which was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of her and two other activists.
Abolfazli ran unopposed in the Democratic Primary and received just over 25,000 votes.
Ogles, by contrast, Metro Councilwoman Courtney Johnston in the Republican primary, but sailed to victory in the contest with a 13-point majority despite being outspent by the moderate candidate.
The incumbent received more than 32,000 votes, while Johnston received just 400 votes in the Republican primary than Abolfazli received in the Democratic contest.
After winning his primary, the FBI served a search warrant at Ogles’ home address to obtain his cell phone. Ogles later said the warrant was related to his amended campaign filings.
Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to pappert.tom@proton.me.
Photo “Maryam Abolfazli” by Maryam Abolfazli.