We teenage Tennessee students beg Gov. Bill Lee to veto bill that will arm our teachers

When we, the students of Tennessee, saw that SB1325 was approved in the full Senate, it felt in some ways like we had been handed a death sentence.

SB1325, more commonly known as the arming teachers bill, states that, in most cases, a faculty or staff member who has gone through 80 hours of training can carry a firearm on school property.

As a credit to its main sponsor Sen. Paul Bailey, R-Sparta, it is absolutely stricter with new amendments than it was when it was originally introduced in January of 2023.

One of our worst nightmares is this bill, or a companion bill in the House, being signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee. The fact of the matter is when guns are in schools, kids die. We feel that our right to live has been stripped away, and we worry for the elementary schoolers in our beloved state.

We sit in those classrooms. It is a horrific reality that maybe on purpose and maybe by accident, students will get hold of guns poorly stored or not watched by teachers when they are in classrooms. One of the more commendable components to SB1325 is that it states a gun cannot be brought into a filled auditorium or gym. Where would the gun go instead?

Lawmakers, please visit schools, and learn from our students so we can grow together. We know that this bill was paved with the best intentions, but it’s undoubtedly faulty.

We are hurt by this bill, and we beg our lawmakers and call on our governor to do everything in their power to keep guns out of schools.

We have come to schools to learn, not to bleed. Yet, this bill feels like a death sentence. If we do nothing now, we are deeply concerned for the lives of the students who will come after us as they stare down the barrel of the gun labeled SB1325.

Thank you,

Editor's note: Find the list of signatories below. Agree or disagree? Or have a view on another topic entirely? Send a letter of 250 words or fewer to [email protected]. Include your full name, city/town, ZIP and contact information for verification. Thanks for adding to the public conversation.

Emmie Wolf-Dubin, 16, Nashville

Binyam Dunne, 15, Nashville

Laila Anthony, 15, Nashville

Elyse Adams, 15, Franklin

Madi Chilberg, 15, Nashville

Kathrine Rush Walker, 18, Nashville

Alice Ornes, 15, Nashville

Ephram Southards, 15, Nashville

Hannah May, 16, Knoxville

Quinn Coleman, 17, Nashville

Niamh Manning, 15, Nashville

Kathleen McIntyre, 17, Nashville

Jaya Somayaji, 15, Nashville

Charles Dorset, 19, Knoxville

Rania Hannat, 16, Nashville

Ella Brinen, 18, Nashville

Kristian Cornelius, 16, Joelton

Sarah Wang, 15, Nashville

Joanna Zhu, 16, Nashville

Porter Wilson, 15, Nashville

Reina Zhang, 15, Nashville

Abbie Wolheim, 21, Nashville

Elizabeth Murphy, 15, Franklin

Maeve Lester, 15, Nashville

Gabrielle Lucas, 15, Nashville

Ansel Lehning, 15, Nashville

Anand Patel, 17, Knoxville

Ellen Parks, 14, Nashville

Lauren Miller, 15, Nashville

Violet Evans, 15, Nashville

Loretta Williams, 15, Nashville

Jaliyah Jordan, 16, Antioch

Bethlehem Tseggai, 16, Nashville

Salahalin Arifov, 15, Nashville

Jazelle Conner, 16, Nashville

Lyla Kelley, 17, Nashville

Jennie Li, 17, Nashville

Jamya Conner, 16, Nashville

Leeland Bassham, 15, Clarksville

Eleanor Duff, 15, Nashville

Marley Mello, 15, Nashville

Sarayah Shaw, 18, Nashville

Jenabel Hermann, 14, Nashville

Bea Brewer, 17, Memphis

Hannah Mosher, 17, Nashville

Knight Pineda, 17, Nashville

Janae Stubblefield, 17, Nashville

Lilian Brake, 17, Nashville

Paige Maxcey, 15, Franklin

Sophia Nordman, 17, Nashville

Eleonorah Perry, 16, Nashville

Sophie Glapion, 16, Nashville

Shira Binshtin, 16, Franklin

Rachel Waters, 17, Nashville

Delaney Sacks, 16, Nashville

Daniel Hutson, 16, Nashville

Ilana Hanai, 16, Franklin

Zakia Onekwere, 16, Nashville

Hannah Long, 17, Nashville

Lucas Gray, 17, Nashville

Farrah Renfroe, 17, Memphis

Ava Edmondson, 16, Nashville

Sophia Phelps, 16, Nashville

Kalyanee Pathiary, 17, Nashville

Aileen Potter, 18, Nashville

Roya Rahimi, 16, Nashville

Jaliyah Jordan, 16, Antioch

Madeline Walker, 16, Nashville

Richard Gott, 17, Nashville

Maya Garcia, 15, Nashville

Aida Reynolds, 16, Nashville

Rosalie Laurence, 16, Nashville

Charlotte Sanford, 16, Nashville

Grey Flowers, 16, Nashville

Brooklynn White, 23, Gallatin

Stella Jenkins, 15, Nashville

Adelle Medovich, 17, Nashville

Sophie Reynolds, 16, Nashville

Sydney McKissack, 20, Memphis

Andy Webber, 16, Nashville

Amanda Palo, 17, Nashville

Henry Miller, 17, Nashville

Van Tant, 16, Knoxville

Sarah Brown, 15, Nashville

Lily LeVasseur, 17, Nashville

Gabriel Hill, 15, Antioch

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee should protect students, not arm teachers