Legislation to let some teachers carry firearms in Tennessee public schools advanced Wednesday in the House as state lawmakers and citizens clashed over the best way to protect students after last week’s deadly school shooting in Nashville.
The proposal would let a teacher or staff member carry a concealed handgun at school after completing 40 hours of certified training in school policing at their own expense, as well as passing a mental health evaluation and FBI background check.
The 12-6 vote in the Education Administration Committee came with one member present but not voting: Republican Rep. Kirk Haston, who works for Perry County Schools.
It would be up to the local district whether to let teachers go armed under the legislation sponsored by Rep. Ryan Williams of Cookeville and Sen. Paul Bailey of Sparta, both Republicans.
During the committee hearing, activists from Moms Demand Action were on hand, and one of them claimed to be a former school teacher.
Here’s how she explained why she opposes allowing teachers to be armed:
Whatever she meant to say, it is clear she needs to find a new career… with no possibility of contact with children.
Why do they all act like letting teachers carry means that they have to have an AR-15 hanging off their shoulders while they’re writing on the whiteboard? Have any of them heard of *concealed carry*
It’s possible that the anti-gun brainwashing has been so successful that some people actually believe that if they were to carry a gun it would just independently start shooting all on its own.
