Tennessee Senate Passes Bill Allowing Teachers to Carry Guns

The Tennessee Senate passed a bill on April 9 allowing teachers and school administrators to carry concealed firearms in public schools in the wake of the shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville last year that killed six people. The bill, HB1202, was passed in a 26-5 Senate vote. It cleared the GOP-controlled chamber amid emotional chants and screams from protesters. Senate Speaker Randy McNally, a Republican, cleared the galleries after many protesters refused to quiet down even after he gaveled them down repeatedly for disruptions. During the nearly 15-minute pause to remove the protesters and resume debate, they continued chanting, “Vote them out;” “No more silence, end gun violence,” and “Kill the bill, not the kids.”...