Troopers with the Tennessee Highway Patrol had to escort the members to avoid being completely surrounded by the mob, with video showing the troopers had to shove protesters out of the way. One lawmaker can be seen having to hold on to a troopers as they made their way through the angry crowd.
Despite the unhinged display, some of the media claimed the protest was “peaceful.” One local reporter, Kelsey Gibbs, posted video of the chaos, deleted it, and posted it again while insisting nothing bad had happened.
Recommended
“This was a peaceful protest. Students, parents and their supporters went through Capitol security to lobby for gun control in the Capitol. No one was arrested. This shoving started when THP needed to make way for lawmakers,” she said.
Other mainstream media outlets did not air the chaotic scenes in their reporting.