By JONATHAN MATTISE (Associated Press)
Protesters shouted “Blood on your hands” at Tennessee House Republicans on Tuesday, after they passed a bill that would let some teachers and staff have concealed handguns on public school grounds, and prevent parents and other teachers from knowing who was armed.
The bill was approved with a 68-28 vote and was sent to Republican Gov. Bill Lee for consideration. If he signs it into law, it would be the most significant expansion of gun access in the state since the deadly shooting at a private elementary school in Nashville last year. The 68-28 vote in favor of the bill sent it to Republican Gov. Bill Lee for consideration. If he signs it into law, it would be the biggest expansion of gun access in the state since last year’s deadly shooting at a private elementary school
After the vote, members of the public who oppose the bill criticized Republican lawmakers, prompting House Speaker Cameron Sexton to clear the galleries.
Four House Republicans and all Democrats opposed the bill, which the state Senate previously passed. The measure would prevent the disclosure of which employees are carrying guns beyond school administrators and police, even to students’ parents and other teachers. A principal, school district, and law enforcement agency would need to agree to allow staff to carry guns.
The proposal offers a very different response to The Covenant School shooting compared to what Lee suggested last year. Republican legislators swiftly dismissed his proposal to keep guns away from people considered a danger to themselves or others.
A veto by Lee seems unlikely, as it would be a first for him and lawmakers would only need a simple majority of each chamber’s members to override it.
The bill’s sponsor, Republican state Rep. Ryan Williams, stated before the vote, “What you’re doing is you’re creating a deterrent. Across our state, we have had challenges as it relates to shootings.”
Republicans turned down a series of Democratic amendments, including requirements for parental consent, notification when someone is armed, and the school district taking on civil liability for any injury, damage, or death due to staff carrying guns.
Democratic state Rep. Justin Jones stated, “My Republican colleagues continue to hold our state hostage, hold our state at gunpoint to appeal to their donors in the gun industry. It is morally insane.”
After the vote, Democratic and Republican lawmakers accused each other of breaking House rules, but only voted to reprimand Jones for using his phone to record. He was prohibited from speaking on the floor until Wednesday.
It’s uncertain if any school districts would choose to take advantage of the bill if it becomes law. For instance, a spokesperson for Metro Nashville Public Schools, Sean Braisted, noted that the district believes “it is best and safest for only approved active-duty law enforcement to carry weapons on campus.”
According to the Giffords Law Center, about half of the U.S. states allow teachers or other employees with concealed carry permits to carry guns on school property in some form. Iowa’s governor signed a bill that the Legislature passed last week creating a professional permit for trained school employees to carry concealed weapons at schools, which protects them from criminal or civil liability for the use of reasonable force.
In Tennessee, a shooter randomly fired a gun without choosing specific targets. opened fire in March 2023 at The Covenant School — a Christian school in Nashville — and killed three children and three adults before being killed by police.
Despite subsequent coordinated campaigns urging significant gun control measures, lawmakers have largely refused. They rejected gun control proposals by Democrats and even by Lee during regular annual sessions and a special session, even as parents of Covenant students shared accounts of the shooting and its lasting effects.
Under the bill passed Tuesday, a worker who wants to carry a handgun would need to have a handgun carry permit and written authorization from the school’s principal and local law enforcement. They would also need to pass a background check and complete 40 hours of handgun training. They couldn't carry guns at school events at stadiums, gymnasiums or auditoriums.
Tennessee passed a 2016 law allowing armed school workers in two rural counties, but it wasn’t put into effect, as reported by WPLN-FM.
Tennessee Republicans have regularly relaxed gun laws, including a 2021 law allowing carrying handguns without a permit backed by Lee.
The original law allowed residents 21 and older to carry handguns in public without a permit. Two years later, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti reached an agreement during an ongoing lawsuit to extend eligibility to 18- to 20-year-olds.
Meanwhile, shortly after the shooting last year, Tennessee Republicans passed a law strengthening protections against lawsuits involving gun and ammunition dealers, manufacturers and sellers. Lawmakers and the governor this year have approved allowing private schools with pre-kindergarten classes to have guns on campus. Private schools without pre-K were already allowed to choose whether to let people bring guns on their premises.
They have put forward some specific gun restrictions. One awaiting the governor’s approval would commit certain criminal defendants to involuntary inpatient treatment and temporarily revoke their gun rights if they are found unfit for trial due to intellectual disability or mental illness. Another bill that still needs Senate approval would revoke the gun rights of young people declared delinquent for certain offenses, from aggravated assault to threats of mass violence, until the age of 25. By JONATHAN MATTISE (Associated Press) NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Protesters shouted “Blood on your hands” at Tennessee House Republicans on Tuesday after they approved a bill that would permit some teachers and staff to carry hidden handguns on public school grounds, and prevent parents and other teachers from knowing who was armed. The 68-28 vote […]
