The shooter killed three children and three adults.
Legislators on Tuesday advanced a proposal in the state Senate that would permit some educators to carry firearms in public schools as the first line of defense. The upper chamber overwhelmingly approved the measure with a 26-5 vote.
Qualified teachers and faculty members would be allowed to carry handguns on school property to protect from incidents such as last year’s massacre.
To qualify, they must possess a handgun carry permit and receive written authorization from the school’s principal and local law enforcement officials. The employee must also receive 40 hours of handgun training.
They will also be required to clear a background check and be legally able to purchase, possess and carry a handgun under state and federal laws.
Teachers of course will not be required to carry a firearm or use weapons during an active-shooter crisis. Their identities will be protected through a prohibition on schools revealing which employees are armed except to administrators and local police.
Parents and other teachers would also not be told of which faculty members are carrying.
Supporters of the measure noted that it would save precious minutes in response time and be even more critical in rural settings with limited law enforcement presence. Sen. Ken Yager (R) said the overriding purpose is to protect children.
“It’s time that we look at the facts of the bill, that we are not trying to shoot a student, but to protect a student from an active shooter whose sole purpose is to get into that school and kill people.”
Anti-Second Amendment demonstrators disrupted Senate proceedings with chants such as, “Vote them out;” “No more silence end gun violence;” and “Kill the bill, not the kids.”
The legislative chamber has been the scene of raucous gun control demonstrations in the previous year, and many of the protesters were escorted out.
The bill now proceeds to the House for vote and is expected to pass.
The Senate last week continued its push to strengthen support for the Second Amendment when lawmakers passed legislation to require gun safety courses in schools. This measure cleared the upper chamber by a 24-3 vote after HB 2822 passed the House in February.
Students would be taught the correct way to exercise Second Amendment rights primarily through “videos and online resources.” There would be no firearms or live ammunition present in schools for the lessons.
The measure now awaits Gov. Bill Lee’s (R) signature.
It would require instruction on safe storage of firearms, safe handling of weapons, what to do if a student finds a firearm, instructions on never handling a found firearm and to immediately notify an adult if a weapon is discovered.
Proponents advocated the courses as “age-appropriate and grade-appropriate” offerings. If signed into law by the governor, instruction will start with the 2025-26 school year.
One of the measure’s proponents, Sen. Richard Briggs (R), termed HB 2882 as “one of the most important bills we have, that could potentially save lives.”
Gov. Lee stirred controversy in Tennessee when he convened a special legislative session to push for red flag laws after last year’s Nashville school shooting. That effort fizzled as lawmakers showed no appetite for further gun restrictions on law-abiding citizens.
It is widely expected that Lee will sign the gun safety course bill as it has broad backing from within the legislature. Despite pressure from gun control advocates, the state moved to shore up the right to self-defense since the tragedy.
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