Tennessee Passes Bill Allowing Teachers to Carry Guns

The 68-28 vote in favor of the bill that that would allow some teachers and staff to carry concealed handguns on public school grounds, and bar parents and other teachers from knowing who was armed was sent to Republican Gov. Bill Lee for consideration, CBS News reported. If he signs it into law, it would be the biggest expansion of gun access in the state since last year's deadly shooting at a private elementary school in Nashville.

Members of the public who oppose the bill harangued Republican lawmakers after the vote, leading House Speaker Cameron Sexton to order the galleries cleared.

Four House Republicans and all Democrats opposed the bill, which the state Senate previously passed. The measure would bar disclosing which employees are carrying guns beyond school administrators and police, including students' parents and even other teachers. A principal, school district, and law enforcement agency would have to agree to let staff carry guns.

Under the bill passed Tuesday, a worker who wants to carry a handgun would need to have a handgun carry permit and written authorization from the school's principal and local law enforcement. They would also need to clear a background check and undergo 40 hours of handgun training. They couldn't carry guns at school events stadiums, gymnasiums, or auditoriums.

The proposal presents a starkly different response to The Covenant School shooting than Lee proposed last year. Republican legislators quickly cast aside his push to keep guns away from people deemed a danger to themselves or others.

A veto by Lee appears unlikely since it would be a first for him and lawmakers would only need a simple majority of each chamber's members to override it.

In Tennessee, a shooter indiscriminately opened fire in March 2023 at The Covenant School — a Christian school in Nashville — and killed three children and three adults before being killed by police.