NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Would you feel better or worse about your child's safety in school, if their teacher was allowed to be armed in the classroom?
That's a question Tennessee lawmakers are actively considering and the idea is gaining traction in the waning days of the 2024 legislative session.
"This bill permits a person employed by an LEA as a faculty or staff member to carry a concealed handgun on the grounds of the school," said Sen. Paul Bailey, R-Sparta, during a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting Tuesday.
But unlike previous efforts to arm teachers, this bill has several requirements.
"Must pass a psychological evaluation, must have written authorization of the chief from the appropriate law enforcement agency," Sen. Bailey explained.
In addition to the psych evaluation and approval from a police chief or sheriff, those teachers and faculty members also must have a concealed carry permit and go through an additional 40 hours of training. The bill also requires teachers to provide their fingerprints to law enforcement.
"Someone will be well trained before they ever do, it’s not like anybody can do it. So, from that aspect, I think it’s a good bill," Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville said.
Democrats call it "absurd"
Even with some of those requirements, Democrats say there's no way they'll support the bill.
"I have no teacher come to me and ask me to be able to carry a firearm in their classroom," said Rep. John Ray Clemmons, D-Nashville. "The mere notion that we need to put more firearms in our school buildings and our classrooms is absurd. That is not the way we better protect our children."
Democrats also expressed concerns about the possibility of accidental shootings and that the list of teachers, cleared to carry, won't be made public.
"Unfortunately a lot of our colleagues across the [aisle] have never met a bad idea they didn’t like," Rep. Clemmons said.
The bill cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee this week, will need to be approved by the Senate Calendar Committee, and then will head to the Senate floor.
Meanwhile, in the Tennessee House, the bill passed through key committees last year but then was placed on the desk. Because it's still the 113th General Assembly, the bill can easily be revived and brought to the House for a full floor vote. "I think the sponsor may be watching what the Senate does. It’s possible, we’ll see what happens," Speaker Sexton said.
TEA weighs in
The Tennessee Education Association has come out strongly against the legislation. They say in a statement:
"If we want a safe school where our children can succeed academically, we need to have educators focused on teaching and trained and certified officers focused on safety. HB1202/SB1325 puts both our children’s education and safety in jeopardy. The Governor’s decision to add recurring funding to pay for a School Resource Officer in every Tennessee school—a measure TEA supported—was a great step forward in ensuring safer schools. This bill is a misstep that will increase the likelihood of accidental shootings and increases the likelihood of harm coming to our students. We urge our legislators to focus on tried and proven measures to increase school safety—not measures that could put our children in greater danger."
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