Tennessee’s Republican-dominated legislature passed a litany of starkly conservative laws this year, ceding little quarter to gun control advocates and democracy activists calling for moderation.
Among the more strident bills passed last month was a measure to allow teachers to arm themselves in class. Though the new law allows school districts to opt out of the policy, its passage came despite howls of contempt raining down from the galleries from gun control advocates who have been pressing for change following the Covenant Sschool mass shooting of 2023. House lawmakers cleared the galleries before voting 68-23 to pass the bill.
