WILSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — From LGBTQ+ legislation to gun reform, News 2 wanted to hear from Tennessee voters on a variety of topics that took center stage last legislative session.   

News 2’s Kendall Ashman held a round table with engaged Wilson County voters, on both sides of the aisle, in search of common ground when it comes to gun reform legislation.  

“What type of legislation would you like to see come out of this special session?” asked Ashman.

“It’s one of those things that it’s really hard for me to understand why this is such a big issue? Why can’t everyone just be on the same page?” said Nicole Hobbs, a Wilson County Independent voter.

“How do we get away from this culture of our kids going to school and being scared and having to do drills? That’s not what I want,” said Sierra Barnett, a Wilson County Democrat voter.

Barnett said she would like to see stricter gun laws such as a safe storage law.   

“Tennessee has to have an extreme risk protection order which is an ERPO law and that’s because it allows law enforcement and loved ones to petition the court,” said Barnett.

The law would allow a judge to temporarily restrict access to firearms from an individual that presents a threat to themselves or someone else.   

“I’m very pro-gun, however, we have seen what guns in the hands of unstable people can do,” Hobbs said. 

Ashman then asked, what’s the conservative voice when it comes to gun reform?  

“I think its really important to understand the purpose of the second amendment or what some laws might do to that. And I think that’s where some people in my own party get carried away with it and I don’t think they want their guns taken away,” Aaron Fulcher, a Wilson County conservative voter, said. 

Fulcher added he would like to see a greater emphasis on mental health.  

“I often wonder, what happened to the moderate?” Sarah Moore, a Wilson County Independent voter, asked.    

With the special session around the corner, the concern becomes whether or not politicians will find common ground at all.  

“I can sit behind a closed door and have a conversation, and we are on the same page with a conservative, independent, democrat, republican and we are like “yeah we want our kids to be safe.” and we can all agree with that and then the door closes and it’s like I don’t know where we are at today. I don’t know if we are ever going to get there,” Barnett said.  

“I think at the heart of Tennessee it’s important to keep our children safe and if doing that is saying, ‘if you’re going to own a gun then you should have proper training on it then I think that’s a start and I think that’s something we could accomplish,” Fulcher said.