Well, believe it or not, Second Amendment politics could get worse in Tennessee.

On Wednesday, one lawmaker seemingly tried to go after a Republican colleague after he clapped back at the anti-gunner critiquing the body for not doing more on guns.

Tennessee Rep. Justin J. Pearson (D-Memphis) confronted Rep. Andrew Farmer (R-Sevierville) during a House subcommittee hearing on gun measures in Nashville on Wednesday.

Video from our sister station WKRN in Nashville shows Pearson being held back from Farmer by multiple people after negative comments were allegedly made alluding to his brother who died in December of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Rep. Pearson was presenting his bill on ending permit-less carry, which lawmakers shut down. Reporters in attendance say Pearson made a comment about how real work was not being done to end the gun violence epidemic.

 “We have the power to do something about the gun violence epidemic and we don’t just have to offer some empty thoughts and prayers,” said Pearson.

Rep. Farmer then said that they had been working during this session and mentioned that Pearson had been absent.

“I know every member in this committee has been here this year working during committee, during session, voting on bills. And I know you may have some things going on, but you have not. So, I don’t think it’s fair for you to come in front of this committee and lecture us on hard work and convictions, and hard work for our committee,” said Rep. Farmer.

“Representative Pearson, it seems that it is very common in your party when you disagree with a comment that was not disrespectful to you,” said Farmer.

The "things" Pearson had going on was the suicide of his brother and the aftermath of that tragedy.

That's awful, and I suspect Farmer was simply trying to allude to the situation without calling it out because, frankly, it would seem tasteless. 

Pearson was apparently enraged by what transpired.

“It is a pathetic excuse for you to not answer the question of why we are doing nothing about the gun violence epidemic, then to personally attack me. But let me explain to you what I have been doing… since you asked. My brother… one of the loves of my life passed away from gun suicide,” said Rep. Pearson.

“And since that happened, it shattered my family like gun violence has shattered so many families… I buried my brother. I planned for his entire funeral, my fiancée made his obituary, I made sure that he was taken care of – even in death. That’s what I’ve been doing,” Pearson said.

A WKRN reporter says Pearson was seen yelling and telling Farmer to “learn when to shut up.” He then physically charged at Farmer and had to be restrained.

I've lost loved ones to a variety of situations, and I've been touched by suicide, though not a close family member. I understand loss, though, so I get Pearson being sensitive about what happened to his brother.

But based on this reporting, Farmer didn't say anything that warranted such a reaction. Especially when it seems he was inclined to physically assault Farmer.

The truth was, he had some stuff going on and wasn't there when work on a lot of legislation was happening. His absence was entirely understandable by anyone with a pulse, but it doesn't change the fact that he's been gone, then steps in and starts throwing around accusations about people not doing work on an issue that they happen to disagree with him on.

I want to be charitable here because people deal with loss in different ways. I want to be understanding because I can't imagine losing a brother, especially to suicide. I really do.

Unfortunately, there's no grounds for Pearson's actions here. None.

He owes Farmer and the rest of the legislature an apology for his outburst. There was no disrespect visible toward his brother or Pearson's absence.

The problem, though, is that far too many anti-gunners believe that their righteous cause is so just that anything they say or do in the process is justified. They think any refusal to embrace gun control is disrespecting the deceased. They see a lack of that gun control as a callous indifference to whatever happened.

That's not true, but that's the world they live in.

So Pearson showed his butt, probably was saved from assaulting a fellow lawmaker, and walked out of the whole situation thinking he was the righteous one.

He's not. He's just a man hurting and irrational with grief, at best. At worst, he's a lunatic that will eventually commit an assault over a matter of something relatively trivial because he can't master his own emotions.