Safer TN is monitoring which counties and school districts have opted out of the new law to establish a training and approval process for teachers to conceal carry in schools. We are providing current updates on our social media. We currently have at least 35 counties and districts that have made public statements declining to participate.
If your county or school district has not announced their decision on whether to “opt out” and you would like to encourage them to do so, fill in the form below and we will provide contacts for your specific school superintendent and chief of your local law enforcement agency (Police Chiefs / Sheriffs). These local leaders are responsible for determining whether any teachers will be allowed to train to carry concealed firearms in schools.
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Not sure what to say? At the bottom of the page find key data points on why adding firearms to gun-free zones never makes us safer.
And if your county or school district has already opted out, consider filling out the below form to send a thank you note praising their decision.
A few key points on why adding firearms to gun-free zones never makes us safer:
- There have been numerous incidents where guns carried into schools were misplaced, stolen from teachers by students, or lost and found in students’ hands. We had this occur in Memphis just this past December.
- Trained police officers only hit intended targets in active shooting situations just 18% of the time (Rostker et al., 2008) – raising the question how effective a minimally trained teacher will be.
- Many law enforcement associations oppose the concept of arming teachers because there is concern in an active shooting situation, they may not know who is the “good guy with the gun” vs. the “bad guy with the gun.”
- A recent study by researchers from The Violence Project suggests that armed guards in schools don’t reduce fatalities. Most active shooter incidents occur in a matter of seconds or minutes, making it hard for armed guards to be in the right place at the right time.
- Research suggests most school shooters are actively suicidal, intending to die in the act, so an armed individual on campus may not serve as a deterrent.
- Most teachers oppose school faculty carrying firearms, and believe it would make schools less safe. (RAND survey, May 2023; Gallup, 2018)
- Despite arguments that “gun free” zones are less safe and targeted, K-12 rates of violence have notably decreased since federal regulations passed preventing guns within 1000 feet of school property.