4 weeks ago
Tennessee teachers and unit will beryllium allowed to transportation concealed handguns connected nationalist schoolhouse grounds nether authorities signed into rule by Gov. Bill Lee connected Friday.
Lee, a Republican, had announced his support for nan connection conscionable nan time earlier while flanked by apical Republican legislative leaders who had helped shepherd nan measure done nan GOP-dominant General Assembly.
"What’s important is that we springiness districts devices and nan action to usage a instrumentality that will support their children safe," Lee told reporters.
TENNESSEE NEARS LAW BANNING ADULTS FROM HELPING MINORS FIND, RECEIVE SEX REASSIGNMENT CARE
As nan thought of arming teachers began to summation support wrong nan General Assembly, weapon power advocates and families began swarming to nan Capitol to show their opposition. During nan last vote, protesters chanted "Blood connected your hands" and galore members of nan nationalist who reason nan measure harangued Republican lawmakers aft nan vote, starring House Speaker Cameron Sexton to bid nan galleries cleared.
FILE - Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee responds to questions during a news convention Tuesday, April 11, 2023, successful Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
According to nan statute, which becomes effective immediately, parents and different teachers will beryllium barred from knowing who is equipped astatine their schools.
A principal, schoolhouse territory and rule enforcement agency would person to work together to fto unit transportation guns, and past workers who want to transportation a handgun would request to person a handgun transportation licence and written authorization from nan school’s main and section rule enforcement. They would besides request to clear a inheritance cheque and acquisition 40 hours of handgun training. They couldn’t transportation guns astatine schoolhouse events astatine stadiums, gymnasiums aliases auditoriums.
The authorities is nan biggest description of weapon entree successful nan authorities since past year’s deadly shooting astatine a backstage simple schoolhouse in Nashville wherever shooter indiscriminately opened occurrence and killed 3 children and 3 adults earlier being killed by police.
Lee initially asked lawmakers to support guns distant from group deemed a threat to themselves aliases others successful consequence to nan shooting, nan Republican supermajority ignored that request.
Many of nan Covenant families had met pinch Lee and lawmakers hoping to seduce them to driblet nan thought of arming teachers. In nan last days of nan legislative session, Covenant families said they had collected astir 4,300 signatures from Tennesseans against having nationalist schoolhouse staffers transportation weapons connected schoolhouse grounds.
"There are folks crossed nan authorities who disagree connected nan measurement forward, but we each work together that we should support our kids safe," Lee said Thursday.
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It’s unclear if immoderate schoolhouse districts would return advantage if nan measure becomes law. For example, a Metro Nashville Public Schools spokesperson, Sean Braisted, said nan territory believes "it is champion and safest for only approved active-duty rule enforcement to transportation weapons connected campus."
