Tennessee teachers and school staffers, including facility personnel, can carry concealed handguns in schools after the state’s legislature approved the action.
The Washington Post reported that the measure was approved and comes one year since six people were killed by a shooter in a Nashville school.
In March 2023, a former student at the Covenant School killed three students and three adults in the Nashville area. The debate over the law sparked fierce arguments in the battle over gun policies in Tennessee, eventually resulting in the expulsion of two Black Democratic lawmakers.
Protestors have also made their voices heard throughout the process, as parents and advocates were ejected from the gallery before a state Senate vote earlier in April and about 250 Nashville high school students left class during a day in April to march on the Capitol.
According to the Post, the legislation states that the identity of school staffers who plan to carry guns will only be known to those who approve participants. Parents will not be told if their schools opted into the program or if any staffers are armed.
Staffers who carry handguns must have permits, undergo background checks and mental health evaluations and annual training.
Dave Lubach is executive editor of the facilities market.
