Republicans Pass Bill to Arm Teachers in Tennessee

Friday, April 26, 2024

As protesters chanted "Blood on your hands" at Tennessee House Republicans on Tuesday after they passed a bill that would allow some teachers and staff to carry concealed handguns on public school grounds, and bar parents and other teachers from knowing who was armed.

Posted by reinheitsgebot at 08:30 AM | 27 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

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What could possibly go wrong?

#1 | Posted by Doc_Sarvis at 2024-04-26 07:45 AM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

Face it. Republicans are just stupid people.

#2 | Posted by Zed at 2024-04-26 08:02 AM | Reply | Newsworthy 3

What do you expect teachers to do, wait for police rescue?

#3 | Posted by sitzkrieg at 2024-04-26 08:15 AM | Reply

How about arming them with good pay? Books? Supplies?

Nope.

#4 | Posted by Nixon at 2024-04-26 08:27 AM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

What do you expect teachers to do, wait for police rescue?

#3 | POSTED BY SITZKRIEG

I expect one of them at some point, somewhere, to take the weapon they already have in the classroom and start shooting students and colleagues. That's what the teachers we know in Texas were worried about.

#5 | Posted by Zed at 2024-04-26 08:48 AM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

The stupidity of the Republican gun-crazies is that they refuse to see the presence of a firearm as an opportunity.

#6 | Posted by Zed at 2024-04-26 08:49 AM | Reply

#4 You forget Nixon, books are now banned in Red States...
Too much 'thinkin' going on.

Can't have that. What's next? Questioning?!

#7 | Posted by earthmuse at 2024-04-26 08:52 AM | Reply

I expect one of them at some point, somewhere, to take the weapon they already have in the classroom and start shooting students and colleagues.

#5 | POSTED BY ZED AT 2024-04-26 08:48 AM | FLAG:

List all the times a teacher has massacred their classroom of students.

#8 | Posted by sitzkrieg at 2024-04-26 08:56 AM | Reply

and what's stopping them from doing it now? They're teachers. They can just walk in with an illegally concealed firearm already.

#9 | Posted by sitzkrieg at 2024-04-26 08:57 AM | Reply

List all the times a teacher has massacred their classroom of students.

#8 | POSTED BY SITZKRIEG

List all he times an Ex-Marine has climbed into the University of Texas tower and started picking off strangers with a high-powered rifle.

#10 | Posted by Zed at 2024-04-26 08:58 AM | Reply

They're teachers.

#9 | POSTED BY SITZKRIEG

Yep. Just like they're only students. Just like they are only fifteen.

#11 | Posted by Zed at 2024-04-26 09:00 AM | Reply | Funny: 1

If passed someone's loaded Glock will be found in a middle school restroom in about 3...2...1...

#12 | Posted by catdog at 2024-04-26 09:12 AM | Reply

#11 | POSTED BY ZED AT 2024-04-26 09:00 AM | FLAG:

So no teachers. Got it.

#13 | Posted by sitzkrieg at 2024-04-26 09:14 AM | Reply

If you believe one of your coworkers is just waiting for the legal ability to bring a gun to work before they murder everybody, because they're apparently stopped by the 30-06 sign, you may want to go talk to your boss about why you feel this coworkers is on the verge of a mass murder.

#14 | Posted by sitzkrieg at 2024-04-26 09:19 AM | Reply

on the verge of a mass murder.

#14 | POSTED BY SITZKRIEG

No one knows how many of these people are. I think they are common, remembering all the times myself and the people I know have been threatened with harm. After everything that continues to happen, you play the Pollyana. Prediction: once the first armed teacher has snapped there will be a plague of them. This is the pattern that is established.

#15 | Posted by Zed at 2024-04-26 09:34 AM | Reply

you may want to go talk to your boss about why you feel this coworkers is on the verge of a mass murder.
#14 | POSTED BY SITZKRIEG

There's nou much point in doing that.
The cops won't dare take his guns away!

#16 | Posted by snoofy at 2024-04-26 09:44 AM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

List all the times a teacher has massacred their classroom of students.
#8 | POSTED BY SITZKRIEG

List all the times a teacher has lost their gun at school.

#17 | Posted by snoofy at 2024-04-26 09:56 AM | Reply

That's certainly a possibility but it's more likely they off themself in the classroom. Teaching is a stressful job and suicide is more often than not an unplanned act of impulse.

#18 | Posted by johnny_hotsauce at 2024-04-26 12:35 PM | Reply

It's just a stupid idea for many reasons.

Teachers are not armed guards.

Teachers are supposed to engage with their students in a positive way,guns don't facilitate that at all. A bully teacher could snap and shoot a defiant or annoying student.

A big kid could potentially disarm and kill a smaller teacher and his classmates if he knew somehow that the teacher was armed.

The teacher could misplace the gun and it could be found by a student causing harm in any number of ways.

The teacher could have a bad day and shoot himself in front of the class.

Expecting underpaid teachers to assume the liability of being de facto police is unrealistic and exploitative. It also encourages the wrong sort of wingnut to want to be a teacher.

Just Stupid. But hey,it's Tennessee.

#19 | Posted by Effeteposer at 2024-04-26 12:57 PM | Reply

Under the bill passed Tuesday, a worker who wants to carry a handgun would need to have a handgun carry permit and written authorization from the school's principal and local law enforcement. They would also need to clear a background check and undergo 40 hours of handgun training. They couldn't carry guns at school events at stadiums, gymnasiums or auditoriums.

And the bill requires a mental health evaluation.

Teachers are generally pretty smart so shouldn't everyone who wants to carry a gun get written authorization, require a background check, 40 hours of gun training and a mental health evaluation?

#20 | Posted by donnerboy at 2024-04-26 01:23 PM | Reply

This bill doesn't go far enough and expects too much from teachers.

The only way to keep students safe at schools is to arm the students.

Then, and only then, will they be safe and able to defend themselves.

I'm starting a lobby group, Guns for Toddlers.

Let's keep America safe.

#21 | Posted by ClownShack at 2024-04-26 02:14 PM | Reply | Funny: 1

Weapons solve all of the problems forever! /s This is something dummies/cavemen think. It is the low calorie way of thinking to solve problems. It is like hitting a child instead of explaining the proper behavior in terms/ways they understand.

#22 | Posted by Brennnn at 2024-04-26 05:20 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

Why is it that Tennessee demands teachers have specialized training, mental health evaluation and enhanced background checks to carry guns around children but they don't demand the same of the rest of the state?

Are teachers somehow high risk individuals to a great degree than the average parent with a gun at home?
Why does Tennessee not demand the same high standards for all gun owners?

#23 | Posted by johnny_hotsauce at 2024-04-27 01:02 AM | Reply

If you believe one of your coworkers is just waiting for the legal ability to bring a gun to work before they murder everybody, because they're apparently stopped by the 30-06 sign, you may want to go talk to your boss about why you feel this coworkers is on the verge of a mass murder.
#14 | Posted by sitzkrieg at 2024-04-26 09:19 AM

Mass shooters don't go for glocks, you are right. They prefer hard to conceal high caliber with high fire rate. I'm guessing that's going to be a big seller this Christmas in Tennessee.

Good thing background checks are a priority, right?

"right to work" states have the best focus on priorities.

#24 | Posted by redlightrobot at 2024-04-27 02:49 PM | Reply

#9 Sitzkrieg Several years ago in Atlanta, GA a teacher took out a gun and starteed shooting other teachers because she was upset that she had been denied tenure. That's one case. Just a couple of days ago a teacher brought in two guns and ammo hidden into a preschool so she shoot up the school. She was caught before she could do anything. I believe it was due to a love triangle. That's teo cases. Thar's why teachers shouldn't bew armed.

#25 | Posted by Ronnie68 at 2024-04-27 03:11 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

I think they need to allow the kids to carry.

#26 | Posted by tres_flechas at 2024-04-28 02:29 AM | Reply

It's weird that the republican party wants to arm a bunch of pedophile groomers who are being paid by George Soros and Hamas to indoctrinate their kids...

#27 | Posted by tres_flechas at 2024-04-28 02:32 AM | Reply