Republican lawmakers in Tennessee banded together Tuesday to advance a proposal that would allow some teachers to carry handguns in public schools.
The Republican-controlled Senate voted 26-5 to pass Senate Bill 1325, which would allow teachers and school staff who meet certain requirements to own and carry handguns and other firearms on school grounds.
To own a handgun, students must obtain a handgun permit, obtain written permission from both the school principal and local police, and complete 40 hours of handgun training. Additionally, workers may not be prohibited from purchasing, possessing, or carrying a handgun under Tennessee law or federal law as determined by a background check.
The bill was passed in response to last year’s mass shooting at Covenant School, a private Christian elementary school in Nashville. Three children and three adults were killed in the shooting.
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The Tennessee State Capitol on January 8, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. Tennessee Republican lawmakers advanced a proposal on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, that would allow some teachers to carry handguns on public school property. This is the state’s biggest gun control expansion since last year’s mass shooting at a private elementary school. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
The bill does not specifically require teachers to be armed or use weapons in such gunfight situations. It also prohibits schools from disclosing which employees, other than school administrators or police, own guns. This information will not be provided to the student’s parents or other teachers.
Before the bill passed, its proponents argued that teachers and faculty could serve as a more immediate response force to mass shootings. They said it could be especially helpful in rural counties with limited law enforcement resources.
“It’s time to look at the facts of the bill. We’re not trying to shoot students, we’re talking about an active shooter whose sole purpose is to enter a school and kill someone,” Republican Sen. Ken Yeager said. We are protecting students from criminals.” He said.
The proposal is now ready for a vote in the House of Representatives.
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While the bill was being debated, critics chanted and shouted in protest from the Senate auditorium. “Vote them out,” they shouted. “No more silence, end gun violence.” and “Kill the bills, not the kids.”
Many of the protesters were eventually ordered to leave.
“This bill is dangerous and teachers don’t want it. Nobody wants it,” Democratic state Sen. London Lamar said.
The controversial bill was introduced about a year after the Covenant School shooting last March. The gunman was shot dead by police at the scene, and three children and three adults were killed during the assault.
Police work near the scene of a mass shooting at Covenant School on March 27, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
The bill also comes amid a push by Tennessee Republicans to loosen gun laws, including allowing the unauthorized carrying of handguns in 2021.
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The push includes efforts to expand the state’s permitless carry law to include long guns.
The original law allowed residents over the age of 21 to carry handguns in public without a permit. Two years later, Attorney General Jonathan Scumetti allowed young people between the ages of 18 and 20 to carry handguns in public.
Aerial view of Covenant School as first responders worked at the scene of a mass shooting in Nashville, Tennessee on March 27, 2023. According to published reports, a 28-year-old former student at a private Christian school was armed with a handgun and two AR-type weapons and shot and killed three 9-year-old students and three adults before being arrested by arriving police officers. Murdered. . (Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
Lawmakers also approved a bill that would allow private schools with preschool classes to have guns on campus. The governor has not yet signed it.
Separately, Senate Republicans on Tuesday advanced an amendment to the Tennessee Constitution’s “Right to Keep, Bear and Bear Arms” that would extend the right beyond defense. Even if approved, it would not appear on the ballot until 2026.
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Last year, Tennessee Republicans passed legislation that would strengthen protections against lawsuits involving gun and ammunition dealers, manufacturers and distributors.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
