Tennessee House Republicans on Tuesday passed legislation to allow some trained teachers and school staff to carry handguns despite pleas from Democrats, students and gun-reform advocates to defeat the bill.

Dozens of protestors in the galleries began chanting “Blood on your hands” as soon as the legislation passed, prompting House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, to order state troopers to clear the galleries. Many protestors continued to chant and stomp down at lawmakers as the House floor fell into chaos over parliamentary issues.

The bill is all but guaranteed to become law within weeks, as Gov. Bill Lee can either sign it into law or allow it to become law without his signature. Lee has never vetoed a bill.

Armed teachers, who will be required to undergo training that some opponents have argued is not intensive enough, will be allowed to carry handguns in their classrooms and in most campus situations without informing parents and most of their colleagues they’re armed.

  • @MrVilliam
    link
    English
    117 months ago

    Yeah this will end with kids dead I can promise you that.

    It started with kids dead, too. It’s interesting how the proposed solution to the problem of too many gun deaths is consistently “let’s try more guns”. Has more guns ever solved this problem?

    Beyond that, they want to take a demographic that is notoriously underpaid, underappreciated, in excessive debt, overstressed, and surrounded by shitty kids all day every day, and they want to give these people guns?! I hope parents are getting bulletproof vests for back to school shopping. And I hope the teachers show up armed to negotiate their teachers unions contracts.