Tennessee Senate advances bill to arm teachers a year after deadly Nashville school shooting

By JONATHAN MATTISE and KIMBERLEE KRUESI
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Tennessee have cleared a significant hurdle toward permitting certain trained teachers and faculty who haven’t worked in law enforcement carry handguns on school grounds. The Monday vote marks one of the state’s biggest expansion of gun access since a deadly elementary school shooting last year. The proposal cleared the GOP-controlled chamber amid emotional and disruptive chants and screams from protesters against the legislation, many of who were eventually ordered to leave the Senate galleries after ignoring warnings to remain quiet. If approved, the bill would allow a school district and a law enforcement agency to strike a written agreement to permit some school staff carry guns if they meet a strict criteria.