A GodWink Moment: How Kyle Yorlets’ Death Inspired My Work for Safer Firearm Storage
Sometimes we feel drawn to do something without understanding why. Looking back, we may recognize a connection we could not see at the time. I often call those experiences “GodWink moments.”
For me, one of those moments began when I saw the news about Kyle Yorlets.
Kyle was a 24-year-old Belmont University graduate and a member of the Nashville band Carverton. On February 7, 2019, he was fatally shot during a robbery outside his Nashville home. Police said he had surrendered his wallet but refused to hand over his car keys. Five young people, ranging in age from 12 to 16, were charged in connection with his death.
I did not know Kyle or his family. Yet, after seeing the story, I felt drawn to attend his service.
Like most people, I do not look forward to funerals. Attending a service for someone I had never met was especially unusual for me. Still, that feeling stayed with me.
On February 11, 2019, I sat on the back row of Belmont University’s chapel in Nashville during Kyle’s memorial service. As I listened and watched people mourn this young man, I felt there was a reason I was there. At that moment, I simply did not understand what it was.
A few months later, Ashley Peters, an administrative assistant to State Senator Sara Kyle, approached me about helping carry legislation to remove the sales tax on gun safes and firearm safety devices. I told her I would review the proposal and get back to her.
I made several phone calls, including one to John Harris and Richard Archie, both with the Tennessee Firearms Association, and another to Mark Brasfield, owner of The Safe House in Nashville.
They told me they believed it was a good bill, but previous efforts had not succeeded. That puzzled me. Why would we tax equipment intended to help people secure their firearms and protect their families?
I invited Mark to help me with the legislation and testify before the committee. When he came to my office and we met for the first time, I asked whether he was a believer.
As a Christian (yes, it’s a difficult walk), I believe in a Creator and in God’s ability to work through people and circumstances. I believe we should pray for wisdom and then be willing to do the work placed before us.
Mark and I prayed for the legislation’s passage.
I also decided to approach the proposal differently. Instead of beginning with a permanent exemption, I would ask for a one-year trial—a pilot project and chance to put the idea into practice and evaluate it.
When Mark and I testified, I shared Kyle’s story. I told the committee about attending his memorial service without understanding why I felt compelled to be there.
My concern was simple: if the firearm had been secured and kept out of those young people’s hands, Kyle might still be alive.
That possibility has stayed with me.
In October 2021, two defendants, Diamond Lewis and Decorrius Wright, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in adult court. Lewis received a 25-year prison sentence. Wright received a total of 26 years in prison for murder and additional offenses. The three other defendants’ cases remained in the juvenile system, according to reporting at the time.
Stop and think about that for a moment.
A young musician lost his life. His family lost someone they loved. Two teenagers who were not even old enough to legally purchase cigarettes faced decades behind bars. Taxpayers would also bear the substantial expense of their incarceration.
What might have happened if someone had intervened earlier?
Were there warning signs? Who was helping guide these young people? Did they have involved fathers, dependable mentors and adults who held them accountable?
I do not know the full circumstances of each defendant’s upbringing. But I believe we need to ask these questions more broadly and take the answers seriously. We need honest conversations about absent fathers, the need for mentors, childhood behavioral problems, accountability and the support families need before a crisis occurs.
We also need to act on the practical steps available to us.
In 2021, I sponsored House Bill 761, with Senator Sara Kyle sponsoring its companion, Senate Bill 551. The legislation passed with bipartisan support and was signed by Governor Bill Lee. It provided a one-year sales-tax exemption for gun safes and gun locking devices, beginning July 1, 2021
I continued that effort in 2023 by sponsoring House Bill 342 to propose a permanent exemption and House Bill 343 to propose another temporary extension. The permanent exemption ultimately became law through House Bill 7012/Senate Bill 7085, taking effect November 1, 2023.
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