NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Teachers in Tennessee are now cleared to carry concealed guns on school grounds under a new law signed by Gov. Bill Lee last Friday.
While the law went into effect immediately, so far, there has not been a single district in Middle Tennessee saying they will allow teachers to be armed on their campuses.
To carry under the new law, teachers must first obtain 40 hours of gun training, and undergo both a background check and a psychological evaluation.
But school districts and local police must also give their approval before teachers can arm themselves at school.
After the law was signed, WSMV4 Investigates contacted 42 school districts across Middle Tennessee to see if any would allow teachers or staff to conceal carry.
At this time, nine have stated that they will not permit armed teachers after consulting with their law enforcement partners who provide school resource officers. The districts saying “NO” are as follows: Metro Nashville Schools, Sumner, Williamson, Rutherford, Robertson, Coffee, Decatur, Franklin Special School District and Murfreesboro City Schools.
Fifteen school districts tell WSMV4 Investigates that they either have no comment on how they will proceed under the law, or that a decision has not yet been made whether to allow armed teachers on school grounds. Those districts include Wilson, Clarksville-Montgomery, Stewart, Macon, Clay, Pickett, Putnam, Warren, Bedford, Moore, Lawrence, Wayne, Hickman, Henry, Wilson, and Tullahoma City Schools.
Eighteen Middle Tennessee districts have yet to respond, and those schools are: Trousdale, Jackson, Overton, White, DeKalb, Van Buren, Marshall, Maury, Giles, Lewis, Perry, Humphreys, Houston, Dickson, Cheatham, Smith and Franklin County.
As districts continue to respond to WSMV4 Investigates or decide on whether to allow teachers to carry, the lists in this article will be updated.
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