As we send our children back to school this month, we feel excitement, a sense of possibility, and no small measure of apprehension. Will my child be safe?
School shootings are thankfully rare, but when they do occur, they are devastating. A Tennessee law adopted this year allows school superintendents and sheriffs to authorize school staff members to carry firearms if they undergo extensive training, a background check, and a psychological assessment.
Safer TN does not believe adding guns to gun-free zones ever makes us safer, and we are pleased that many districts have publicly declared that they do not intend to participate in this program. We are not aware of any districts that have moved forward to allow teachers and other staff members to carry firearms at school.
We urge you to speak up and let your school officials know where you stand on this issue. If your superintendent has announced that he or she does not intend to allow armed staff, send a note of thanks. If your district hasn’t announced any decision, let the local superintendent and sheriff know you want to keep the schools gun-free. We’ve provided a web-based tool that makes it easy.
It is by using our collective voices and our votes that we will bring about change. Thank you for your partnership as we work together to keep our children and communities safer.
With gratitude,
Claudia Huskey
Executive Director
Voices for a Safer Tennessee
On Tuesday, August 6, Safer TN representatives attended the Edgehill Resident Association Annual Night Against Crime in Nashville. Our volunteers met neighbors and shared information about firearm safety.
Primary Election Recap
Election update, from The Tennessean: “Statewide voter participation in Thursday’s primary elections was the lowest in decades, with fewer than 14% of Tennessee’s registered voters voting early, absentee or on election day. While voter registration has increased steadily in recent years, fewer registered voters are actually participating in elections.”
- Tennessee is last in the nation for voter turnout. Only about 637,500 voters of nearly 4.6 million registered voters cast ballots in this primary.
This is why every vote matters:
- 39 of 99 State House seats were determined in the primary election (because there will be no opponent in the November general election).
- 5 out of 16 State Senate seats were determined in the primary (because there will be no opponent in the November general election).
- 5 primary races were decided by fewer than 200 votes.
All election results, including by county or district, are available on the Secretary of State’s website.
Jillian’s Law Put to Use
Jillian’s Law, which was enacted this past legislative session and went into effect on July 1, is already being put to use. It prohibits the purchase or possession of firearms by individuals deemed incompetent to stand trial, and establishes a process for involuntary commitment to mental health treatment for those who are incompetent and pose a danger to themselves or others.
- WKRN: The defendant in this first reported case was deemed incompetent to stand trial for a string of felonies, like burglary and theft, and will be admitted into the Middle Tennessee Mental Health Institute.
- Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk explained how this law will make a difference. His office has identified about 30 people who met the criteria outlined in the law – committed felony-level crimes but found incompetent to stand trial – and were let go prior to Jillian’s Law’s passage, even though those individuals had a very high likelihood of committing other major crimes.
- D.A. Funk: “[H]aving this law in the books gives us another tool to be able to properly establish public safety and work for the benefit of everybody in the community. Doctors, instead of the criminal justice system, deal with this person, but they’re not just having their cases dismissed and returned to the streets.”
The new law is named for Belmont University student Jillian Ludwig, who tragically lost her life last November to shots fired by a mentally incompetent individual.
Teacher Carry Law
As our kids head back to school, Safer TN continues to monitor which counties and school districts have opted out of the new law to establish a training and approval process for teachers and other staff members to carry concealed firearms in schools.
If you don’t see your school district on the list below, we encourage you to weigh in with school leadership. We have a tool to make it easy here.
If your school district has publicly opted out and you don’t see it listed below, please let us know at info@safertn.org.
The general election is on November 5, with key voting dates below. Make sure you’re registered to vote!
The Trace’s Data Hub tracks firearm sales by state. Last month, 45,393 firearms were estimated to have been sold in Tennessee. Monthly sales have more than doubled over the past two decades.
