On Tuesday, Tennessee lawmakers passed a bill allowing teachers and school staff to carry concealed handguns with 68-28 votes.
The proposed law is now at Gov. Bill Lee’s desk for his signature. If the governor signs the bill, this would be the largest expansion of gun access in the state since the mass shooting in Nashville.
According to the bill, teachers and staff who want to carry handguns will undergo 40 hours of basic training in school policing and another 40 hours of training signed by the Peace Officer’s Standards and Training Commission. They are also required to secure approval from the principal and school administrators.
Background checks and psychological evaluations are also required for school staff and faculty members who want to carry firearms.
However, the school will not notify parents of who among the school staff is carrying firearms.
As the lawmakers voted, protesters from the House Gallery shouted “Blood on your hands” to oppose it, disrupting the ongoing proceedings in the chamber.
Tenessee State Senator Ken Yager (R) explained, “We are not trying to shoot a student but protect a student from an active shooter whose sole purpose is to get in that school and kill people.”
Meanwhile, State Sen. Paul Bailey, co-sponsor of the bill, attempts to clear up the ongoing disinformation about the bill.
“The bill does not require any teacher in this state to carry a gun while working,” Sen. Bailey clarified.
“This bill is completely permissive. It simply gives a faculty or staff member the option,” he added.
Handguns will be prohibited in stadiums, gymnasiums, or auditoriums during school-sponsored events and meetings discussing tenure or disciplinary actions.
Additionally, the bill stipulates that firearms must always be concealed.
State Representative Ryan Williams emphasized the bill’s potential to enhance school security as a deterrent.
“I believe that this is a method by which we can do that because what you’re doing is creating a deterrent,” Mr. Williams said.
Democrats and gun control activists opposed the legislation. They have put forward amendments to the bill, such as parental consent notification and the school district assuming civil liability for any injury, damage, or death caused by a staff member carrying firearms.
Before the bill, in March 2023, a mass shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville led to the deaths of three children and three adults before police units arrived.
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