Bill to arm teachers in Tennessee passes first hurdle in legislature

A bill that would allow a select number of teachers to carry guns on campuses across Tennessee passed its first hurdle in the legislature Wednesday, thrusting the state into the national debate about how best to protect students from school shootings.

Mothers, teachers and other gun control activists spoke in opposition to the bill, questioning the need and prudence of arming teachers instead of funding school resource officers — trained law enforcement stationed in schools.

But Reps. David Byrd, R-Waynesboro; Mike Carter, R-Ooltewah; and Andrew Farmer, R-Sevierville, pointed to the absence of funding for school resource officers across the state as the reason the bill is needed.

The measure passed the House Civil Justice Subcommittee 5-2, with committee Democrats Bill Beck of Nashville and G.A. Hardaway of Memphis voting no.

The proposal to arm teachers comes as another group of lawmakers unveiled a bipartisan proposal Wednesday that would allow volunteer law enforcement officers to work security at Tennessee public schools.

► More: Tennessee lawmakers unveil bipartisan legislation aimed at boosting school security

'Do not make us into a security force'

Proponents of the bill referenced a statistic that school resource officers provide security for only 40 percent of the state's public school students.

"The SRO program is what we all want," Carter said. "That’s a message to every department and specifically to the administration. We need to talk seriously about getting funded."

Still, while opponents of the bill agreed more funding for the officers is needed, they raised concerns about training and arming teachers.

Larry Proffitt, a teacher in Dickson, said he is concerned the legislation will distract teachers from their primary focus on teaching by adding more tasks and duties to their already packed schedules.

“Do not make us into a security force,” he said.

A member of the Tennessee Education Association questioned how having some teachers armed and others not could change the dynamics among faculty and between faculty and students.

Others said they felt the training suggested would not adequately prepare teachers to use their weapon if necessary.

This sentiment was echoed by Russell Marty, a legislative liaison for Gov. Bill Haslam's office; Terry Ashe, executive director of the Tennessee Sheriffs' Association; and Brian Grisham, director of the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission. All three said school resource officers are the preferred method for school security.

How the bill would work

The bill would give school boards and school directors the power to adopt a policy allowing select school staff to carry a concealed firearm on school property.

The proposal, co-sponsored by Sen. Joey Hensley, would allow one school employee to carry a gun for every 75 students enrolled at the school. That person would need to possess and maintain a state-issued handgun carry permit and have completed 40 hours of handgun training.

More: Tennessee lawmakers unveil bipartisan legislation aimed at boosting school security

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The proposal also calls for that person to annually complete at least 16 hours of continued handgun training.

Superintendents also would need to notify law enforcement about who is authorized to carry a gun on the school campus. The bill also requires those carrying a gun to wear an identifiable insignia during school athletic events.

“We need to make sure our kids have some type of protection,” Byrd said in his legislative office Wednesday. “In Wayne County, we haven’t had any (school resource officers) in about 15 years. Our parents are wanting their kids to be kept safe.”

The bill would protect staff members who object to carrying a weapon by preventing any "adverse employment consequences for not volunteering to carry a gun to school." It also would give school boards and directors the power to revoke an employee’s ability to carry a concealed handgun on school property with or without cause.

A history of guns on campus

The measure Byrd proposed is not completely new.

In 2016, Byrd and Hensley, who represent rural districts, introduced a bill that would allow local boards of education in Pickett and Wayne counties to authorize select employees to carry concealed weapons on campus. That became law.

Byrd said Wednesday it's already legal for teachers to be armed in counties in his district, but because of pressure from the Tennessee Sheriffs' Association and other groups, law enforcement agencies have refused to train teachers in Wayne County in the nearly two years since the measure passed.

"This year, what I was going to do is put an amendment on it that would let a private certified instructor be able to train our teachers there in Wayne County instead of the local law enforcement agencies," he said. "I was doing that amendment and the shooting in Florida happened, and so I have had a lot of legislators, and I’ve had several sheriffs, that said they would like for this to be extended and make it permissive for any school system."

Byrd said he was asked by the local school system to propose the legislation.

Still, despite requests for more funding, Hardaway reminded lawmakers that they control appropriations.

“We control the purse strings,” he said. “It’s a legislative process. I would say we need to go ahead and give the distressed counties and Representative Byrd the necessary funds to protect his babies and the children in his school system.”

Jason Gonzales contributed to this report.

Reach Jordan Buie at jbuie@tennessean.com or 615-726-5970 and on Twitter @jordanbuie.