Tennessee Bill Allowing Teachers To Carry Guns Passes, Heads To Governor
Tennessee passed a law on Wednesday allowing teachers to carry guns in school classrooms. The measure has strict qualifications and leaves the decision up to local school boards but still has drawn sharp backlash from Tennessee Democrats.
What’s In The Bill:
Tennessee school teachers will now be allowed to carry concealed handguns on school property.
Teachers must first complete 40 hours of training as decided by their local school district as well as getting approval from local police.
Tennessee’s governor, Bill Lee, noted that the bill allowed “local governments” to ultimately decide how or if the law was implemented, acknowledging that many in Tennessee “disagree” on the bill.
The bill largely passed on party lines, with most Republicans voting for the measure and all Democrats and 4 Republicans opposed.
What The Opposition Says:
Tennessee House Democrats were not very happy with us. Democratic Rep. Bo Mitchell told reporters, “This is our reaction to teachers and children being murdered in a school… What’s wrong with us?”
The bill follows the Covenant school shooting tragedy in Nashville, Tennessee, where a lone shooter killed three elementary-aged children, three school staff, and herself.
Big Picture:
Governor Lee indicated on Thursday that he would sign the bill into law.
Tennessee will join 26 other states that currently have some allowances for teachers to carry firearms on school property.
This bill is just one example of the large divide between state-level conservative and progressive attempts to address the gun violence epidemic in America.
Photo Source (United States Army)
