Tennessee teachers step closer to carrying firearms in classroom after state lawmakers pass GOP-backed bill

Tennessee lawmakers overwhelmingly passed a GOP-backed measure connected Tuesday that volition let schoolteachers to transportation firearms connected schoolhouse grounds, though the names of the equipped instructors would not beryllium published to the public.

Earlier this month, Republican lawmakers successful Tennessee joined unneurotic to o.k. Senate Bill 1325 with a 26-5 vote. The measure allows a teacher oregon module subordinate who meets definite requirements, to person and transportation a firearm connected schoolhouse grounds.

In bid to transportation a handgun, teachers indispensable person a handgun transportation permit, person written authorization from some the school’s main and section instrumentality enforcement and acquisition 40 hours of handgun training. The idiosyncratic indispensable besides not beryllium prohibited from purchasing, possessing and carrying a handgun nether Tennessee oregon national law, arsenic determined by a inheritance check.

On Tuesday, the House successful the authorities Legislature continued to push the measure closer to becoming instrumentality by passing the sister measure by a 68-28 vote. It present heads to Gov. Bill Lee’s table to beryllium signed into law.

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Covenant School shooter Audrey Hale walks past the Children's Ministry desk. (1:57) (Twitter @MNPDNashville)

Last year, a fatal shooting astatine The Covenant School, a backstage Christian simple schoolhouse successful Nashville, near 3 children and 3 adults dead.

The authorities Senate’s support of the measure sparked outcries from teachers, students, Democratic lawmakers and adjacent Covenant School parents.

On Tuesday, protesters screamed, "Blood connected your hands," earlier House talker Cameron Sexton called for authorities troopers to region them from the balcony, FOX 17 successful Nashville reported.

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A Tennessee measure would let authorities schoolteachers to transportation firearms connected schoolhouse grounds. (iStock)

Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, called the measure "morally insane."

"Republicans proceed to clasp our authorities hostage," helium reportedly said. "God person mercy connected you that you bash not perceive the symptom of these mothers saying to support kids, not guns."

One of the sponsors of the bill, Sen. Paul Bailey, said the measure allows unit and faculty to transportation arms if they take to, but successful bid to transportation a gun, they indispensable spell done 40 hours of grooming and acquisition a intelligence evaluation.

Rep. Ryan Williams, different sponsor of the bill, said the standards teachers indispensable conscionable successful bid to transportation successful a Tennessee schoolhouse volition beryllium "very high."

The instrumentality is considered "100% permissive," according to Williams, and is up to schoolhouse districts to implement. Approval besides falls connected instrumentality enforcement and schoolhouse administrators.

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The Tennessee Capitol successful Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Williams besides said the measure is intended to beryllium a deterrent, adding the identities of teachers carrying guns would not beryllium released.

Still, Rep. Jason Powell, a Democrat from Nashville, said the instrumentality "makes maine sick to my stomach," adding it is dangerous.

"It’s going to person unsafe impacts astir the world," Powell reportedly said. "Think astir instrumentality enforcement. It’s going to hold responses. It’s going to enactment instrumentality enforcement successful danger. How volition they cognize who’s the assailant and who’s the teacher with the gun?"

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Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is expected to motion a measure that volition let schoolteachers to transportation firearms astatine school. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Lee did not respond to Fox News Digital’s petition for remark connected the matter.

Before its passage, the bill’s proponents argued teachers and module could service arsenic a much contiguous effect unit to a shooting situation. They said it could beryllium peculiarly adjuvant successful agrarian counties with constricted instrumentality enforcement resources.

The contentious measure comes astir a twelvemonth aft a deadly shooting past March astatine The Covenant School. The shooter, who was killed astatine the country by police, killed 3 children and 3 adults during the rampage.

The measure besides comes amid a larger propulsion from Tennessee Republicans to loosen weapon laws, including signing disconnected connected permitless transportation for handguns successful 2021.

The propulsion includes an effort to grow the state’s permitless transportation instrumentality to see agelong guns.

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The archetypal instrumentality allowed residents 21 and older to transportation handguns successful nationalist without a permit. Two years later, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti past allowed 18- to 20-year-olds to transportation handguns publicly.

Lawmakers besides approved a measure that would let backstage schools with pre-kindergarten classes to person guns connected campus. The politician has not yet signed it into law.

Fox News Digital’s Lawrence Richard and The Associated Press contributed to this report.