Covenant School moms try to stall House bill to arm teachers
“I simply cannot imagine how I could have pulled out a gun with 10 children underfoot and in my arms.”
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - This week the Tennessee House could pass a bill that would let teachers carry a concealed gun. The bill would allow staff members in private and public schools to carry if they do the required 40-hour training and get approved by authorities.
Monday, Melissa Alexander came to the Cordell Hull Building with her son, a Covenant School student, for a press conference about the bill.
“My son is sitting right here because he was protected by his teacher that day,” she pointed out.
She, along with Mary Joyce, was there to advocate not only as parents but also for educators.
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They read a statement from a Covenant School teacher to try and stop the bill before it passes the House.
“I simply cannot imagine how I could have pulled out a gun with 10 children underfoot and in my arms,” Alexander read from the statement.
The words are from a preschool teacher who watched 13 students in a small closet the day of the shooting.
“As we heard shots over and over, we worked to comfort the frightened children,” read Alexander.
The moms say teachers should stay with their kids to keep them calm during emergencies.
“It is only because of their teacher that the students remained quiet and watched the shooter’s feet walk right past the door,” said Alexander. “What if she hadn’t been there to help the children and went after the shooter?”
“While this bill has some safeguards in it, 40 hours of training, 40 hours of training is hardly enough,” said Rick Musacchio with the Tennessee Catholic Conference.
He wants more work to be done and so do Alexander and Joyce.
They said they understand why the bill could help rural counties who struggle to find SROs. However, they also added the legislation said parents and most staff would not know if a teacher was armed until an emergency took place.
“With no time to prepare they would watch their teacher run off down the hallway while they had to lock their door, pull down the shade, take shelter in the hard corner of the classroom and stay quiet and calm without any supervision,” said Joyce.
The bill is on the desk in the House. Representative Ryan Williams (R-Cookeville) said he plans to take it off there sometime this week or next.
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