NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The highly charged bill that would allow teachers to carry handguns in classrooms is now moving its way back onto the House floor.
It is on the House regular calendar for Tuesday at 1 p.m. It is item No. 3.
HB 1202/SB 1325 has drawn heavy attention from parents, teachers and students. A letter with more than 5,000 signatures was delivered to lawmakers on Monday to say they were against the legislation. The Senate has already approved the measure along party lines.
Those carrying would have immunity from any financial damages. Parents won't know which teachers are armed, meaning a child's teacher could carry but their students' parents won't know.
The House version went idle because of The Covenant School mass shooting last year. Taking it off the desk is just a first step in the House process. This allows a 24-hour notice before House members take it up.
What it would take for teachers to be armed
For those wanting to carry, they will have to go through several steps to do so.
Teachers wanting to carry will have to have:
- written authorization from the superintendent and principal and law enforcement
- complete 40 hours of basic training in school policing and 40 hours of POST commission-approved training that is specific to school policing each year in order to keep the authorization
- must obtain a background check
- undergo a psychological exam conducted by a Tennessee-licensed psychologist
What we have covered about it
We have done extensive reporting on this legislation, including talking to parents, a teacher, gun safety expert who have concerns about the bill and the Coffee County Sheriff, who supports the idea.
Arming educators brings up mixed emotions on both sides.
"So here you are in a classroom they’re going to get 40 hours of enhanced concealed carry," Michael "Moose" Moore said. “It’s a joke. They’re going to get eight hours of that in firearms training. I did it for 10 years, and I was learning all the time."
After all of those steps are cleared, the appropriate police chief or sheriff has the final approval power, which law enforcement said that's a positive thing.
"There is such a deep filter with this bill. It’s deeper options and deeper requirements of any law or bill that I’ve seen in years," Coffee County Sheriff Chad Parton said.
Sheriff Partin thinks it's clear who lawmakers are trying to help with this bill.
"Do I think there will be one teacher or faculty member in the Davidson County school system that will participate in this? Me personally? No," he said. "In the rural parts of Tennessee? Absolutely."
Gov. Bill Lee indicates he supports the general idea, but said the details are everything with this bill.
"It's very important what the details of that legislation would look like. It has passed one chamber, not the other. That means there are likely to be changes to it, if it passes at all, and I don't know where it is on the House Floors or on the floors of the legislature, but I'm open to the idea. But very dependent on the details," Lee told reporters.
Lee said back before he took office that he was open to having teachers armed in classrooms.
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