Tennessee teachers will be allowed to carry guns in class

Four Republican lawmakers joined in voting against Democrats and two others abstained, but a bill allowing state teachers to carry handguns in school cleared the Tennessee House a month after it cleared the Senate. As demonstrators shouted their opposition from the podium, the text passed by a vote of 68 in favor and 28 against in the Republican-dominated House. Even simple amendments, such as requiring guns to be kept locked during the day, were rejected.

Since a 28-year-old woman walked into a Nashville elementary school in March 2023 and shot three children, a principal and two teachers with seven guns she legally acquired, the debate has been about making it more difficult to access guns, but about allowing adults in schools to stop any deadly intrusion. Many parents at the school opposed this measure.

“The answer to our state’s epidemic of gun violence is laws that arm teachers, respect guns and lower age requirements. (…) These are dangerous laws and scary times in Tennessee,” wrote state Rep. Justin Pierson, a Democrat who was kicked out of the House last year before winning re-election because he opposed the bill, on social media. “Instead of protecting children, they protected guns AGAIN!” “, he criticized.

According to the text – SB 1325 in the Senate, HB 1202 in the House of Representatives, any teacher or employee who wishes to carry a concealed firearm in school must obtain the approval of the institution’s director and then complete at least 40 hours of training at his expense. Local law enforcement authorities must be informed of the identity of the carrier. Parents will not be informed, even in very small classes.

Tennessee’s governor must sign the law for it to take effect. Today he is for it.

Confronted by those concerned about a rise in school shootings and accidents, Republicans and conservatives say the possibility of teachers being armed without being told they have a weapon will deter plans for shootings and, if they happen, make them possible. react almost immediately during an attack, waiting for the police, especially in rural areas where response times are longer.

Today, 16 of 50 U.S. states allow adults to carry guns in schools starting in kindergarten, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, an anti-gun in schools organization.

Also on Tuesday, despite confusion caused by the evacuation of anti-gun protesters, Tennessee representatives approved a bill that would make it a misdemeanor punishable by one year in prison for any person who assists, accommodates, or transports an underage pregnant woman to have an abortion. , or who gives her the abortion pill even though Tennessee has passed a near-total ban on abortion.