The Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill Tuesday that would allow teachers and other school employees to carry concealed handguns on campus. If the measure becomes law, gun owners would need training and permission from school officials, but most parents and other school officials would not be notified.
The bill is the most significant public safety bill to be advanced in Tennessee in the wake of a mass shooting at a private Christian school in Nashville that left three students and three staff members dead just over a year ago. This is one of the important parts. The attack prompted many parents in Tennessee, including parents at the same school and Tennessee’s Republican governor, to demand action to prevent similar violence.
But many of them believe that limiting access to guns is the answer, and critics of the bill argue that bringing more weapons onto school campuses will not improve safety. , they argue, could further increase the risks students face.
On Tuesday, demonstrators opposing the bill filled the House chamber and hallways of the Capitol holding signs that read, “Children deserve more rights!” and “Have you lost your loving heart forever?”
Demonstrators echoed concerns that have been growing since the bill was proposed.
“I hope we don’t endanger the lives of our children by putting more and more guns in schools,” state Sen. London Lamar, a Democrat from Memphis, said during a debate this month while cradling his young son. “It’s really hard, even as a new mother, to have to stand here and write a bill based on a bill that I know will put my son’s life at risk,” she added.
Supporters of the bill dispute this argument, arguing that not only would guns be available to trained adults, but their presence could act as a deterrent to would-be perpetrators. He argued that this measure would protect students.
“We’re not trying to shoot students, we’re trying to protect them from an active shooter whose sole purpose is to enter a school and kill people,” said Republican state Sen. Ken Yeager. ” he said.
Supporters also argued that the bill responded to the state’s more rural realities, where large counties and relatively small law enforcement agencies can impede a quick response.
This bill would significantly expand current law, which primarily restricts firearm possession to law enforcement officers or school resource officers employed by public schools.
The new law would extend that permission to school employees who have an enhanced handgun permit and have the approval of the principal, district superintendent, and relevant local law enforcement leaders. The measure also imposes confidentiality rules on revealing who is carrying a concealed handgun.
Employees also must complete 40 hours of school police training, undergo a background check, submit fingerprints to state and federal authorities and provide psychological certification from a licensed medical provider. Handguns are not allowed in the auditorium or stadium during school events. During a disciplinary or term meeting. Or at the clinic.
About half of U.S. states allow teachers and other school employees to carry firearms on school grounds with concealed carry permits, according to a research group led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. He was among the 19 people shot and killed during the meeting with Giffords. (6 people died).
However, these states have varying levels of regulations regarding training and permissions required from school officials.
Other states have taken similar actions in response to mass shootings, most notably Florida, which lifted its existing ban a year after the Parkland high school shooting that killed 17 people in 2019. Teachers in the department were given permission to possess firearms.
Tennessee’s bill faced fierce opposition from Democrats as well as some Republicans. But the House passed the bill by an overwhelming margin Tuesday, underscoring the strength of the Republican supermajority in the state Legislature and the party’s resistance to restricting gun access.
The Senate passed the bill earlier this month. The bill is currently before Governor Bill Lee, who has never vetoed it in his five years in office, so it could become law with or without his signature. Highly sexual.
Lee, whose family was related to a teacher killed in a shooting last year, sponsored legislation that would allow firearms to be temporarily confiscated from people determined to be a danger to themselves or others. urged lawmakers. Republicans in Congress rejected his efforts.
Critics of the bill that would allow teachers to carry guns argue that armed teachers would be forced to choose between confronting attackers and protecting their students, and that having guns on campus poses risks. expressed concern about.
“How are guns stored? How do I make sure kids don’t have access to them? How do I make sure guns aren’t used in tense situations at school?” Moms Kathy Barnett, a volunteer with Demand Action’s Tennessee branch, said in a statement: “These are all important questions about this type of bill that will never be answered.”
Democrats also argue that the bill banning teachers from notifying parents that they are armed is inconsistent with Republicans, who have supported other bills aimed at empowering parents. did.
State Sen. Paul Bailey, the bill’s Republican sponsor, countered, saying, “There’s nothing in this bill that requires teacher involvement.” He added that confidentiality rules helped maintain “the element of surprise.”
