Bill to allow teachers to carry guns in schools nearing law in Tennessee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Soon, teachers carrying guns in schools could be a reality in Tennessee.

“I think it’s just one more thing teachers have to deal with, unfortunately. I don’t want a teacher to have to moonlight as a cop in a school,” Senate Minority Leader Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis) said. “I don’t want a teacher to get injured, I don’t want the students to be in a situation where they won’t be safe. I just don’t think this is the answer to school violence.”

A bill to allow teachers and administrators to be armed passed the key Senate Judiciary Committee this week. It actually came up last year but Chairman Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga) declined to take up any firearm bills in the wake of the Covenant School shooting.

“I think the last thing we want is for them to have weapons,” Akbari said. “You even look at the Covenant shooting, there were some people there, administrators, who had weapons, and it did not prevent the shooter from doing what she did.”

Now that we’re a little over one year removed from the shooting, Gardenhire allowed the bill to come back up in his key committee where it ultimately passed along party lines.

It would require the teacher carrying to have a handgun carry permit, have written authorization from the chief of local law enforcement and complete 40 hours of basic training in school policing. The requirements are the same as what the state requires for school resource officers.

“If I was a teacher, I wouldn’t want to be armed, but I would stand between my students and a gunman. But I don’t want to be armed. Why is that? Because I don’t have the training, I don’t have the background,” Sen. Kerry Roberts (R-Springfield) said. “When you look at this bill, it’s not mandating that teachers do this.”

More conservative Republicans say the bill gives another added layer to keep kids safe. Plus, they argue if you went in a different direction – like stricter gun laws – people would get guns anyway.

“It’s illegal to buy pot in Tennessee. But yet, y’all know you can go down any street corner and buy it,” Roberts said. “Just because you make something illegal, doesn’t mean it’s no longer available.”

Instead, most Republicans have pointed to fortifying schools. You may remember last year when House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) promised to ‘park a tank’ outside schools if it came down to that for protection of students.

“You’ve got over 300 million guns on the streets of America. Let’s focus our attention on making our schools as safe as they can be,” Roberts said. “Let’s start there. Let’s get that done first, and then maybe we can worry about some other stuff.”

Not every Republican has been on board with the bill. In the House, several who are considered more moderate voted against it in committee, joining every Democrat.

“Universally, folks in Tennessee, they’re okay with people having guns. I’m okay with people having guns. I just want folks to be safe,” Akbari said. “We have to have some sort of regulation in this.”