People hold signs in the gallery against a bill that would allow some teachers to be armed in schools during a legislative session in the House chamber Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Pandemonium broke out at the Tennessee State House Tuesday after the legislature passed a controversial bill that would allow teachers and school staff to carry concealed handguns on school grounds without parents being notified. Students and other protesters held a “die in” and chanted “blood on your hands” and “fascism” in the gallery, state troopers cleared parents from the room, and at least one state lawmaker said he was “physically shoved” by one of his colleagues.
The Republican-dominated lawmaking body voted 68-28 to adopt S.B. 1325, with four Republicans and all Democrats opposing the bill. If the measure becomes law, it would require those carrying guns on campus to undergo training and have permission from school officials, but it would not require that parents or other school employees be notified.
People perform a die-in during a demonstration against a bill allowing some teachers to be armed in schools on the House floor during a legislative session Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
The legislation comes just over a year after the deadliest mass shooting in Tennessee’s history left three students and three staffers dead at an elementary school in Nashville.
Tennessee’s existing gun laws limit the carrying of firearms on school grounds to law enforcement officers employed at schools or to school resources officers. The bill significantly widens that scope to allow school staff members with an enhanced handgun carry permit and approval from the school’s principal, district director, and local law enforcement agencies. It requires that the staff member 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 limits the permit such that guns cannot be carried into auditoriums, stadiums, disciplinary meetings, tenure meetings, or into a clinic.
It also immunizes law enforcement agencies from monetary damage claims that arise from a faculty or staff member’s misuse of a handgun authorized by the bill.
After the bill passed Tuesday, chaos erupted in gallery the legislative chamber. Protesters chanted “blood on your hands.” Ultimately state troopers cleared the gallery filled with parents. As this happened, Rep. Justin Jones, a Democrat representing Nashville, began recording the incident on his cellphone, which is prohibited by House rules. Jones later released a video in which he explained that after he refused to stop filming, he was ruled out of order and as a result, he will not be recognized to speak on the House floor for two days.
Jones noted in his video that he was the only person censured for recording, although several Republican lawmakers were also recording the incident. Jones also said that a fellow legislator, Chris Todd, a Republican, “physically shoved” him in plain view of the entire chamber.
“This is what it looks like to work with people who are drunk with power,” Jones said. “This is what fascism looks like, and it’s a sad day for Tennessee.”
The bill next heads to Republican Gov. Bill Lee for signing.
At least 22 states currently allow school staff to carry concealed firearms on campus, though with varying requirements. The Giffords Law Center, the research group led by former Democratic congresswoman and mass shooting victim Gabrielle Giffords, has opposed measures that arm teachers in schools as “dangerous and counter productive.”
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