Target: Bill Lee, Governor of Tennessee
Goal: Support public database for identification of repeat domestic abuse offenders.
As highlighted by this Forcechange petition, too many individuals become unwittingly ensnared in a dangerous web of domestic abuse. Preventive legal measures have often been recommended, from domestic violence registries publicly identifying convicted abusers to firearms prohibitions for convicted abusers. Tennessee recently took a significant step forward in both ideas.
In January of 2026, the state became the first in the nation to unveil a statewide domestic abuse registry under Savanna’s Law. The law, which received the governor’s signature the year before, commemorates a sheriff’s deputy who was shot and killed by her abusive boyfriend. Prior to her murder, Savanna Puckett had reportedly conducted an online search of her boyfriend but had found no concerning information, despite this man’s long criminal history of alleged domestic violence offenses. The new registry closes these potentially lethal information gaps by listing all repeat offenders to the registry, with their names and photo identifications provided. The searchable database will enable visitors (who numbered in the tens of thousands in the weeks following the registry’s launch) to search names by region. More consequentially still, private gun owners can check the database before making a sale (as people convicted of domestic abuse face gun ownership restrictions in the state).
Sign the petition below to thank Tennessee’s governor for supporting this trail-blazing legislation.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Governor Lee,
Mississippi’s leadership recently announced they would follow in the footsteps of Savanna’s Law by introducing their own Purple Angels Law. Tennessee will hopefully inspire many more states to follow suit with a public domestic abuse registry. And with statistics indicating that an estimated one in four domestic murders are committed by repeat convicted abusers who should not have possessed a firearm under state law, this registry can become a crucial screening tool for private gun transactions as well.
Thank you for honoring the memory of Savanna Puckett, the millions of victims like her, and the millions of victims who may become survivors because of this law.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Cottonbro
