Tennessee lawmakers have passed a bill now allowing teachers and other school staff members to carry concealed guns in school.
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On Tuesday (April 23), Tennessee House Republicans passed legislation to allow some trained teachers and school staff to carry handguns inside of schools and around campuses. The decision arrives despite numerous pleas from Democrats, students, and gun-reform advocates to kill the bill, especially as it’s been a year since a shooter opened fire and killed six people at a Nashville school.
It’s reported that the bill was passed earlier this month in the Republican-controlled Senate and has now cleared the House in a 68-28 vote, with four Republicans joining Democrats in opposing the bill. The legislation has now been sent off to Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, who has never vetoed any legislation in his position.
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A spokesperson for the Republican Governor was not immediately available for a request for comment on whether he planned to sign the measure. However, it is reported that he can either sign the bill or allow it to become law without his signature.
Tennessee is also listed among other states that have approved legislation allowing teachers to carry concealed guns in schools. According to the Giffords Law Center, a gun violence prevention group, at least 26 states currently have laws permitting teachers or other school staffers to possess guns on school grounds, with some exceptions.
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However, in Tennessee, specifically, it is reported that armed teachers will be required to undergo training, which some lawmakers against the bill believe is not intensive enough. The training would include a minimum of 40 hours of approved instruction specific to school policing each year. The armed teachers will be allowed to carry handguns in their classrooms and most campus situations without ever having to alert parents and most of their colleagues of them being armed.
It’s also reported that the school district’s director of schools, the school principal, and the chief of the “appropriate” law enforcement agency must sign off on all staff members permitted to carry a concealed handgun. With this in mind, in theory, school administrators can block any teacher from entering a campus armed. The new bill also requires armed staffers to undergo criminal and mental health background checks.
Speaking on the new legislation, Republican state Rep. Ryan Williams said the bill would bolster school safety, adding, “I believe that this is a method by which we can do that because what you’re doing is you’re creating a deterrent.” Meanwhile, protestors chanted back to those in favor, “Blood on your hands.”
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