The chairman of the Tennessee House Republican Caucus, Rep. Jeremy Faison, joins a growing list of officials calling for the writings and manifesto of school shooter Audrey Hale to be released.
Hale killed six people, three of which were 9-year-old children, at a Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 27.
“Tennesseans are calling for us to do something,” Faison told The Epoch Times. “The reason they are calling for us to do something is because of Audrey Hale. So, let’s know everything there is to know about Audrey Hale.”
Release the Manifesto Before Debating Legislation
Faison is calling on the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) and the FBI to immediately release the documents so that lawmakers can examine them and take any appropriate steps.“I have no clue if there’s something in there or not,” Faison said. “I’m not alleging that there’s something nefarious in there or something we can learn from, but if the governor wants us to do a special session, and it’s on heels of Audrey Hale killing six Christians—I think the manifesto should be brought forth.”
Faison said only then will legislators know if there was a law already on the books that let Hale slide through, if there was something a doctor treating her or something her parents and law enforcement knew or didn’t know.
“What if there’s already laws in place that would’ve stopped her from doing what she did—and we didn’t get to see the manifesto,” he added.
Faison said another reason he wants the writings to be released is to know if the shooting was a hate crime against Christians, and if so, why the FBI isn’t calling it that.
Analyzing the Manifesto for Legislative Purposes
“First of all, Tennessee isn’t going to get rid of AR15s and we’re not going to pass a red flag law,” he added. “I think when we move forward, if this manifesto is going to be shown—regardless of what we do—it’s only by the grace of God that a crazy person like her is going to be stopped. So I feel like we can’t move forward with anything unless we see what her thoughts were.”Faison said if there are things in the manifesto that stick out as something that could have been stopped by legislation, the lawmakers can decide if there is something they can fix, and he would be happy to do so.
“I would carry the bill,” Faison added. “When we reveal who she is, the deepest of her thoughts and how crazy or evil she was—and we are able to identify something that we can do that’s constitutional, and still have due process, I’m all for that.”
Lee previously called on the state Legislature to pass an extreme risk protection order (ERPO) law. However, no such legislation was taken up before both chambers wrapped up their regular yearly session on April 21.
Where Is the Manifesto?
Faison said he agrees that the fact that Hale identified as transgender is part of the reason the manifesto has not been released. MNPD Chief John Drake said in the days following the shooting that Hale identified as a man.“If she was a white male that also cared about skinhead issues, for instance, you can be sure the next day there would have been the release of said manifesto, so it could gin up as much hate against the person as possible,” he said. “And I would agree. I think it’s smart to let people know how evil a skinhead or a racist is. I want the world to know and I would applaud them for releasing the manifesto to show how horrible a bigot is. America needs to know what we’re dealing with.”
He added that in his gut he feels the manifesto is being protected by the FBI because Hale was transgender, and that the Department of Justice is trying to dampen narratives.
“If you look at all the mass shooters in the past decade, they’re typically in the left camp,” Faison said. “Part of me thinks it is the DOJ trying to protect that—because there is a real narrative that’s out there—and the more that comes out of this, the more that narrative grows. I don’t think that they want that to grow.”
He added he had a suspicion that current laws could have picked Hale up already, but there could possibly have been a lack in obeying the current law.
“One of my apprehensions to passing any gun legislation that would restrict guns from good, law-abiding citizens is criminals don’t obey the laws in the first place,” he added. “How many laws could we pass for them to obey the law? We’re just going to end up disarming law-abiding citizens.”
Sheriff Calls for Release
Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall called for the release of the manifesto immediately this week in an interview with a local television station in Nashville.“I think it would help,” Hall told the outlet. “I don’t see any reason for it to be private any longer in my opinion.”
Hall is the top local law enforcement official thus far to call for the release of the manifesto.
“I believe the public interest to know that would help ease some of the rumors,” Hall added. “Ease the blame game that’s going on. You have to weigh that with the benefits of keeping that out of the public’s eye.”
Hall could not be reached for further comment.
MNPD, a separate agency, is working on the investigation alongside the FBI.
The latest statement to The Epoch Times from MNPD on the release of Hale’s writings stated, “The investigation into the murders at Covenant remains open. Among the work being done is the review of a significant amount of written material by our detectives in consultation with the FBI’s [Behavioral Analysis Unit].”
