On April 23, I stood in the gallery of the Tennessee State House of Representatives and bore witness to the passage of one of the most extreme pieces of pro-gun legislation to exist within the state. After approximately 90 minutes, I was removed from the gallery for protesting this dangerous piece of legislation. On April 23, I was there to see the state legislature silence dissent once again.
The passage of HB 1202, dubbed the Arming Teachers Bill, will allow for teachers, principals, and school personnel to have concealed firearms on school grounds. The bill lacks many crucial safeguards like notifying parents that there will be a gun in their child’s classroom. Despite this, the bill passed with a vote of 68 to 28 in the House and has already passed through the Senate. In the House vote, only four Republicans voted against the bill, with another two abstaining.
The passage of this legislation, which compromises the safety of our schools and communities, is a stark reminder of the failings of our legislature. Without legislation like this in place, there were over 120 handguns found in Tennessee public schools in 2022 alone. Earlier this month, a Tennessee teacher was arrested for threatening to shoot a fellow teacher at the preschool that she worked at. These instances, which occurred before this legislation passed, offer a devastating picture of the future of Tennessee schools. State Representative Bo Mitchell echoed this sentiment, asking, “This is our reaction to students and teachers being murdered in a school? Our reaction is to throw more guns at it. What’s wrong with us?” Representative Mitchell pointed out the seemingly obvious danger to this legislation, as the proliferation of guns within schools only increases risk within the school.
Following the vote, protesters in the gallery broke out chanting “Blood on your hands,” for which they were promptly removed from the galleries by state troopers following an order from House Speaker Cameron Sexton. Representative Justin Jones was called out of order multiple times for recording these chants, but Chris Todd, a Republican Representative who physically shoved Jones, was not. Among those ejected from the gallery was a fellow Vanderbilt student, Chandler Quaile, who received a citation for simply refusing to leave the gallery after it was cleared by state troopers.
Ultimately, the responsibility for this travesty rests squarely on the shoulders of Representative Ryan Williams and his colleagues in the Tennessee GOP. Rather than carefully considering the potential consequences of arming educators, Representative Williams and his allies chose to prioritize ideology over practicality, ignoring the concerns of educators, parents, and students alike, even after receiving a letter from Covenant school mother Sarah Shoop Neumann that contained thousands of signatures from parents, teachers, and administrators across Tennessee opposing the legislation. Their callous disregard for the concerns of their constituents and their willingness to stifle dissent speaks volumes about their priorities. Given what the legislature has done recently, it’s clear that these priorities include, placing partisan gain above the safety, well-being, and democratic rights of the people they were elected to serve. As such, they must be held accountable not only at the ballot box but also in the court of public opinion, where the true measure of their leadership will be judged.
As I reflect on the events I witnessed on April 23, I am filled with a profound sense of dismay. To stand alongside parents and children as they witnessed the erosion of their safety measures is nothing short of sickening. In the face of such injustice, I am reminded of the importance of compassion and resilience. Today, as we confront the consequences of this reckless legislation, let us choose to stand firm in our convictions and continue to have the audacity of compassion.
