Tennessee passes bill to allow teachers to carry concealed handguns

Nashville: Tennessee lawmakers passed a bill Tuesday to allow teachers and other school staff members to carry concealed handguns on school campuses. The measure, if it becomes law, would require those carrying guns to go through training and to have the approval of school officials, but parents and most other school employees would not be notified.

The bill is one of the most significant pieces of public safety legislation to advance in Tennessee after a shooting just over a year ago at a private Christian school in Nashville left three students and three staff members dead. The attack galvanized parents at the school and many others in Tennessee— including the state’s Republican governor— to demand action that could prevent similar violence.

But many of them believed that restricting access to guns was the solution, and critics of the legislation have argued that bringing more weapons onto school campuses would not improve safety and could even amplify the danger facing students.

The bill’s supporters have disputed that contention, arguing that the measure would protect students, not only because trained adults would have access to guns but also because their presence could act as a deterrent to a would-be assailant.

The bill significantly expands the current law, which mostly limits the carrying of firearms to law enforcement officers employed at a public school or to school resource officers.

The new legislation would broaden that permission to school staff members who have an enhanced handgun carry permit and who have the approval of their principal, district director and leaders of relevant local law enforcement agencies.

The staff member must also complete 40 hours of school policing training, undergo a background check, submit fingerprints to state and federal authorities, and submit a psychological certification from a licensed health provider.

The bill in Tennessee faced stiff opposition from Democrats and even some Republicans. Yet the House passed the legislation Tuesday by an overwhelming margin, underscoring the strength of the Republican supermajority in the state Legislature and the party’s resistance to curtailing access to guns.

The Senate passed the legislation earlier this month. The bill now heads to Gov. Bill Lee, but it is likely to become law, with or without the governor’s signature, as he has never exercised his veto power during more than five years in office.