Legislation Allowing Approved Teachers To Be Armed On Tennessee Campuses Passes In House And Senate
Legislation That Authorizes Tennessee Faculty And Staff Members To Carry A Concealed Handgun On School Grounds After Meeting Certain Requirements Has Now Passed In The House And Senate And Will Soon Land On Governor Lee’s Desk For His Signature.
Image Credit: capitol.tn.gov
The Tennessee Conservative [By Rebecca Scott] –
House Bill 1202 (HB1202), sponsored by State Representative Ryan Williams (R-Cookeville-District 42) and substituted with the wording of Senate Bill 1325 (SB1325), sponsored by Senator Paul Bailey (R-Sparta-District 15), has now passed in the House and is on its way to the desk of Governor Lee to be signed into law.
This legislation, in summary, “authorizes a faculty or staff member of a school to carry a concealed handgun on school grounds subject to certain conditions, including obtaining an enhanced handgun carry permit and completing annual training. – Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 13 and Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 8.”
While many Democrat representatives echoed one another with concerns over the bill, all last-minute attempts by to amend the bill failed in voting.
Representative John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville-District 55) repeated several times his opinion that, “There is no way to amend this bill in any positive way,” and went on to say that “This is nothing but a bad disaster and tragedy waiting to happen.”
It should be noted that Republican Representative Patsy Hazlewood (R-Signal Mountain-District 27) voted to adopt Amendment 8 brought by Democrat Representative Yusuf Hakeem (D-Chattanooga-District 28) which read, “The provisions of this act do not apply in any county having a population of not less than three hundred sixty-six thousand two hundred (366,200) nor more than three hundred sixty-six thousand three hundred (366,300), according to the 2020 federal census or any subsequent federal census.”
This amendment also failed in voting.
As shouting ensued in the gallery with a warning coming from House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville-District 25), Representative Williams reiterated the many requirements in the legislation that would ensure proper vetting and training of any teachers chosen to carry a handgun on school property.
These prerequisites and qualifications include possessing an enhanced Tennessee carry permit, resubmission of fingerprints to the TBI, 40 hours of certification training with the local law enforcement agency connected with the local school, and a background check and psychological evaluation.
After much discussion on the floor, a vote was taken and the bill passed with 68 Ayes, 28 Nays, and 2 Present Not Voting.
The bill passed mostly along party lines.
However, Republican Representatives Kevin D. Raper (R-Cleveland-District 24) and Sam Whitson (R-Franklin-District 65) joined the Democrats in voting “No” on the bill.
The General Assembly website records Republican Representatives Clay Doggett (R-Pulaski-District 70) and Kirk Haston (R-Lobelville-District 72) as present but not voting.
As voting commenced so did angry shouts from the gallery that became a chant of, “Blood on your hands.”
At that point, Speaker Sexton called on state troopers to clear the entire gallery so the House could resume business.
Rebecca Scott is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Rebecca at Rebecca@tennesseeconservativenews.com
The article says Sam Whitson (R-Franklin-District 65) joined the Democrats in voting “No” on the bill.
He’s a true RINO.
Letting teachers have guns is a GREAT idea. A crazy teacher could sneak in a gun or kill kids with a knife or a hammer – they don’t need a gun. I don’t think a teacher has EVER shot a student – I’ve never heard of that – I Googled it and didn’t find any cases. The Libs never talk facts – just emotions.
The Libs use Australia as an example of the benefits of banning guns BUT recently a mentally ill guy killed 7 people using a knife and he was stopped by a gun.