GOP Has a New “War” On Its Hands

(USNewsMag.com) – The Tennessee Faith and Freedom Coalition, which includes a group of Republican lawmakers from the Tennessee state House and state Senate, stated their intention to end human trafficking in the state during an Aug. 22 press conference.

The advocacy group held the press conference to discuss the bill, SB 7088, which would mandate the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation file an annual report that details human trafficking crimes and trends as well as the activities of the bureau related to human trafficking. It would also raise awareness of human trafficking in the state. The bill, which made it through the Senate Judiciary Committee on Aug. 22, is supported by Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson as well as House Majority Leader William Lamberth.

Johnson stated that for those involved with human trafficking within the state of Tennessee, “We’re going to war with you.”

According to Lamberth, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Tennessee Legislature, and local law enforcement need to work together to end human trafficking in the Volunteer State.

The Tennessee Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Executive Director, Aaron Gulbransen, called human trafficking “the scourge of our time. He discussed how human trafficking can happen close to home and how the Tennessee Faith and Freedom Coalition is committed to ending it.

Each month, over 600 kids go missing in Tennessee, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Though some are kids who run away or have other complex situations, some of the kids are trafficked.

The film The Sound of Freedom has helped draw national attention to the issue. The film tells the real-life story of federal agent Tim Ballard, who quits his job to rescue a young girl from child trafficking in South America.

During the special session, the Tennessee state Senate passed three other bills, including a bill to eliminate the sales tax on gun safes, a bill that provides Tennessee residents with free gun locks, and a bill that would change the deadline for when courts must submit records for the state’s background check database.