Tennessee legislature fails to understand that teachers don't want to be armed in class

Lawmakers arm teachers without thinking about the consequences

Re: "The Tennessee Senate passed a bill to allow armed teachers. What happens next?" April 10.

Well, the Senate Judiciary Committee has approved changes to the Tennessee Code concerning offenses against public safety and welfare  39-17-1307 (2021) to make public safety and welfare more problematic with its allowing teachers and other school personnel to have weapons when they are in the presence of children.

One can think of so many things that could go wrong, even if teachers who are willing to have guns have been trained. Children themselves could somehow gain possession of a gun. The guns on hand could be accidently fired with fatal results. There could be other accidental firings.

Somehow, the Tennessee Legislature has managed to approve a measure, which goes against all common sense and is totally contrary to the concept of public safety and welfare: especially the welfare and safety of children. Tennessee’s reputation as a gun-loving-state which does not put children before its love of guns is now even more firmly established.

Teachers have made it clear that they do not want guns in their classrooms. The general public does not want guns in schools. Guns are a danger to public safety and health, no matter how many rationalizations are offered for having them. One would hope the Tennessee Legislature would for once listen to the public since they were elected to represent them, not a special interest.

Virginia M. Jones, Oak Ridge 37830

Why can’t government have the authority to protect its citizens?

Re: “Republicans advance public-carry bill despite law enforcement warning,” Politics Notebook, April 7.

When reading The Tennessean, I was appalled to see Rep. Fritts state that "government does not have the authority to dictate by what means someone can protect themselves", apparently a handgun in everyone's hand is not enough.

The Tennessee Department of Safety and Tennessee Highway Patrol have come out against long guns and semi-automatic assault-style weapons being carried by the public.

Large numbers of Tennesseans have been pushing for stronger gun laws since the mass shooting at The Covenant School last year, but Rep. Fritts and others have decided that is not important to them.

Republicans seem to forget that we have basic laws/rules designed to protect us – things like obeying traffic signals and speed limit signs, wearing a seatbelt, putting on a helmet before getting on a bike or motorcycle, turning on our headlights when driving in the rain, just to name a few.

Obviously, there are many more examples of ways the government protects the general public including the big stuff like air and water safety to name two.

Please do not sit on Capitol Hill and tell us that government does not have the authority to protect its citizens.

Catherine Rolph, Spring Hill 37174

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Firearms in Tennessee classrooms: Educators want to teach not shoot