By Lauren Sforza - 04/11/24

The Tennessee state Senate approved a measure Tuesday that would allow teachers and staff in K-12 public schools to carry concealed handguns on school grounds.

S.B. 1325 was approved 26-5 by state senators during a raucous floor vote, where The Associated Press reported protesters opposing the bill were heard shouting, “No more silence, end gun violence,” and “Kill the bill, not the kids.” The bill now heads to the state House for a vote.

The bill was passed by the state’s upper legislative chamber about a year after the mass shooting at The Covenant School, a private Christian school in Nashville, which left three children and three adult staff members dead.

If enacted, the bill would prevent the disclosure of which employees have concealed guns to parents of students and other teachers. The law allows the employees to carry a concealed handgun only if they met certain requirements, including having an enhanced carry permit and being authorized by the director of schools, the principal of the school and the chief of the local law enforcement agency.

The employee would also need to complete a background check and a psychiatric evaluation. It would require them to have successfully completed 40 hours in basic training for school policing as well as 40 hours of Peace Officer’s Standards and Training commission-approved training that is specific to school policing.

The law has faced immediate pushback from advocacy groups and Democratic lawmakers. The Tennessee chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action both condemned the legislation in statements.

“We should be listening to Tennessee law enforcement, teachers, superintendents and more who have spoke out against arming teachers,” Linda McFadyen-Ketchum, a volunteer with the Tennessee chapter of Moms Demand Action, said in a statement. “And, most importantly, we should be listening to Tennesseans, who are worried that their children won’t come home from school every day.”

Democratic state Sen. London Lamar said her child is “at risk” under this bill, the AP reported.

“This bill is dangerous, and teachers don’t want it. Nobody wants it,” she said.

Proponents of the bill said it would benefit rural communities that had limited law enforcement, per the AP.

“It’s time that we look at the facts of the bill, that we are not trying to shoot a student, but protect a student from an active shooter whose sole purpose is to get into that school and kill people,” Republican state Sen. Ken Yager said.