Gov. Bill Lee says he will sign bill to allow arming teachers in schools

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Gov. Bill Lee said Thursday he will sign legislation that will allow for arming teachers into law.

Lawmakers and advocates alike debated the issue for over two hours in the House Tuesday, with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle arguing why the measure was or was not necessary before ultimately passing the bill.

The bill , brought by Rep. Ryan Williams (R-Cookeville), would permit teachers to carry concealed handguns on campus if they meet certain requirements.

The House ultimately passed the bill with a 68-28-2 vote. The bill previously passed the Senate last week.

Among the necessary requirements to allow teachers to be armed is a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between local law enforcement, the school district and the particular school principal. Unless those three entities come to an understanding on allowing faculty and staff to carry on school grounds during school hours, nothing else can happen.

If the three agree to an MOU, then teachers and staff members in that specific school would be required to meet more requirements:

• Submit to a background check
• Pass a psychological evaluation
• Receive 40 hours of firearms training
• Submit their fingerprints

Many school districts in Tennessee have said they will wait for the bill to officially become law before they make any decisions on the measure, but others have already rejected the idea.

Several Middle Tennessee school systems, including Metro Nashville Public Schools, Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools, Williamson County Schools, Wilson County Schools, and Rutherford County Schools, said they would not allow teachers to be armed.

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