NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Lawmakers in Tennessee passed a bill on Tuesday that will allow the teachers in the state to carry a concealed firearm at school.
The bill was approved in a 68-28 vote in the Republican-dominated Tennessee House as protesters shouted their opposition from the gallery. The state’s Senate passed the bill earlier in the month, the New York Post reported.
Heated debate has taken place in Tennessee over gun laws since last year’s shooting at a Nashville school that left six people dead.
Conservatives have sought to arm willing educators in response to the numerous school shootings that have taken place in the U.S. in the past 25 years, while liberals have argued against it.
According to the Giffords Law Center, a gun safety group, about half of all states within the U.S. allow teachers or other school employees to carry firearms on school grounds.
The Tennessee bill requires a teacher or school staff member to complete 40 hours of training in school policing prior to carrying a concealed weapon. School administrators and the local police chief or sheriff also need to grant approval of the person who seeks to be armed following a requisite criminal and mental health background check, The Tennessean reported.
The identities of staff members carrying a weapon are not to be made public, according to the legislation.
The cost of a weapon and compulsory training is to be paid by the individual staff member.
The bill is likely to become law within weeks, as Republican Gov. Bill Lee can either sign it into law or allow it to become law without his signature.
