Tennessee governor signs bills to allow armed teachers nearly a year after deadly Nashville shooting
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee teachers and staff will be allowed to carry concealed handguns on public school grounds under legislation signed by Governor Bill Lee on Friday.
Lee, a Republican, had announced his support for the proposal the day before, flanked by top Republican legislative leaders who had helped push the bill through the Republican Party-dominated General Assembly.
“What’s important is that we give districts tools and the ability to use a tool that will keep their children safe,” Lee told reporters.
As the idea of arming teachers began to gain support within the General Assembly, gun control advocates and families began flocking to the Capitol to show their opposition. During the final vote, demonstrators chanted “Blood on your hands” and many members of the public who opposed the bill addressed Republican lawmakers after the vote, leading House Speaker Cameron Sexton to order the to clear galleries.
Under the statute, which takes effect immediately, parents and other teachers are not allowed to know who is armed in their schools.
A principal, a school district, and a law enforcement agency would have to agree to allow staff to carry guns, and then employees who wanted to carry a gun would need a handgun carry permit and written permission from the school principal and the local law enforcement agencies. They would also have to pass a background check and undergo 40 hours of pistol training. They were not allowed to carry weapons at school events in stadiums, gymnasiums or auditoriums.
The legislation is the largest expansion of gun access in the state since last year’s deadly shooting at a private elementary school in Nashville, where the gunman opened fire indiscriminately, killing three children and three adults before being killed by police.
Lee initially asked lawmakers to keep guns away from people considered a danger to themselves or others in response to the shooting, but the Republican supermajority ignored that request.
Many of the Covenant families had met with Lee and lawmakers in hopes of convincing them to drop the idea of arming teachers. In the final days of the legislative session, Covenant families said they had collected nearly 4,300 signatures from Tennesseans against public schools carrying guns on school grounds.
“There are people across the state who disagree on the path forward, but we all agree that we need to keep our children safe,” Lee said Thursday.
It’s unclear whether school districts would benefit if the bill becomes law. For example, Sean Braisted, spokesperson for Metro Nashville Public Schools, said the district believes “it is best and safest for only approved active-duty law enforcement officers to carry weapons on campus.”