Tennessee lawmakers approve bill allowing teachers to carry guns, despite protests

Tennessee's Republican-controlled Senate approved a controversial bill on Tuesday that would permit public school teachers and staff to carry concealed handguns on campus. 

Senate Bill 1325, which passed along party lines in a 26-5 vote, authorizes faculty or staff at K-12 public schools in Tennessee to carry concealed handguns on school grounds, provided they receive approval from the school district's director, the school principal, and the local law enforcement agency's chief, USA Today reports.

The passage of the bill brushes aside vocal protests from families affected by the Covenant School shooting and others advocating for stricter gun laws. The debate over the legislation was punctuated by disruptions from a group of around 200 gun-reform advocates in the Senate gallery, who held signs, snapped their fingers in support, and hissed in dissent as senators discussed the bill. Lt. Gov. Randy McNally eventually ordered state troopers to clear the gallery, though he allowed a group of mothers whose children attended Covenant School to remain.

Supporters of the bill, including its sponsor, Sen. Paul Bailey, argue that it provides a necessary security option for schools that have been unable to hire a school resource officer or are located in rural areas where law enforcement response times may be delayed during a crisis.

"We are not trying to shoot a student but protect a student from an active shooter whose sole purpose is to get in that school and kill people," said Sen. Ken Yager, defending the measure.

However, Democrats and gun control advocates strongly criticized the bill, with Sen. Jeff Yarbro calling it "irresponsible" and arguing that it could put students at risk by introducing firearms into classrooms, where they could be stolen or misused in panicked situations.

Beth Gebhard, whose children attend Covenant School and survived last year's shooting, tearfully opposed the bill, saying that her children's survival was due to well-trained teachers and police officers, not armed teachers. "If what had happened on March 27 had gone down the way that it did with a teacher armed with a handgun attempting to put the perpetrator out, my children would likely be dead," she said.