Nashville, Tennessee - Tennessee state Representative Justin Jones, one of three Democratic politicians disciplined this spring for leading a protest against gun violence, was temporarily silenced on Monday by his GOP colleagues.

Republicans in the Tennessee House on Monday voted to temporarily silence Jones after Speaker Cameron Sexton claimed he talked out of turn two times.

Jones had reportedly been arguing against a bill that would increase the presence of law enforcement in Tennessee schools and began listing other resources the state should provide to boost public safety, the Associated Press reported.

In a post on X earlier in the day, the 28-year-old had announced plans to request a vote of no confidence against Sexton "due to his continued abuse of power and dishonor to the public office he holds."

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Jones had cited Sexton's "unwillingness" to engage in discussions about gun violence and efforts to silence his political opponents as just a few of the reasons why a vote was necessary.

"Tennesseans deserve better," he added.

The GOP disciplinary vote meant Jones could not participate in floor debate for the rest of the day. Democratic lawmakers walked out, and the audience broke out in protest chants following the decision.

The move came during a special legislative session called by Governor Bill Lee in response to a deadly school shooting in Nashville last March and just months after Jones and his colleague Justin Pearson were expelled by House Republicans for participating in a protest against gun violence in the state Capitol.

A third Democrat involved in the rally, Gloria Johnson, narrowly avoided expulsion, prompting accusations of racism in the process.

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Republicans couldn't keep Jones and Pearson down for long. The two were reinstated on an interim basis shortly after their expulsion but had to win special elections to fully reclaim their seats. Both lawmakers sailed to victory in their special election primaries before sealing the deal in the general election earlier this month.

"What's happening is not democratic. It's authoritarianism," Jones said in a defiant video address after the latest attempt to silence him. "Really what [Sexton] was trying to do was silence my vote of no confidence, but what he does not know is that he's only guaranteed that more people will show up because it shows how fragile his power is."