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Tennessee lawmakers pass bill to allow armed teachers, a year after deadly Nashville shooting

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Tennessee lawmakers pass bill to allow armed teachers, a year after deadly Nashville shooting
News

News

Tennessee lawmakers pass bill to allow armed teachers, a year after deadly Nashville shooting

2024-04-24 08:35 Last Updated At:08:40

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Protesters chanted “Blood on your hands” at Tennessee House Republicans on Tuesday after they passed a bill that would allow some teachers and staff to carry concealed handguns on public school grounds, and bar parents and other teachers from knowing who was armed.

The 68-28 vote in favor of the bill sent it to Republican Gov. Bill Lee for consideration. If he signs it into law, it would be the biggest expansion of gun access in the state since last year's deadly shooting at a private elementary school in Nashville.

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People protest outside the House chamber after legislation passed that would allow some teachers to be armed in schools during a legislative session Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Protesters chanted “Blood on your hands” at Tennessee House Republicans on Tuesday after they passed a bill that would allow some teachers and staff to carry concealed handguns on public school grounds, and bar parents and other teachers from knowing who was armed.

Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, reaches for a piece of candy on the clerk's desk in the House chamber during a legislative session Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. State Republican lawmakers have passed a bill, sponsored by Williams, that would let some teachers and staff carry concealed handguns on public school grounds. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, reaches for a piece of candy on the clerk's desk in the House chamber during a legislative session Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. State Republican lawmakers have passed a bill, sponsored by Williams, that would let some teachers and staff carry concealed handguns on public school grounds. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, left, listens to debate of his bill to allow some teachers to be armed in schools on the House floor during a legislative session Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, left, listens to debate of his bill to allow some teachers to be armed in schools on the House floor during a legislative session Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

People hold signs in the gallery against a bill that would allow some teachers to be armed in schools during a legislative session in the House chamber Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

People hold signs in the gallery against a bill that would allow some teachers to be armed in schools during a legislative session in the House chamber Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

People protest outside the House chamber after legislation passed that would allow some teachers to be armed in schools during a legislative session Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

People protest outside the House chamber after legislation passed that would allow some teachers to be armed in schools during a legislative session Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

State Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, left, listens to debate over his bill to allow some teachers to be armed in school during a legislative session on the House floor Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

State Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, left, listens to debate over his bill to allow some teachers to be armed in school during a legislative session on the House floor Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

People in the gallery of the House chamber are removed by state troopers after a bill allowing some teachers to be armed in schools passes during a legislative session Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

People in the gallery of the House chamber are removed by state troopers after a bill allowing some teachers to be armed in schools passes during a legislative session Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, right, watches his bill to allow some teachers to be armed in schools pass the House as others react during a legislative session Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, right, watches his bill to allow some teachers to be armed in schools pass the House as others react during a legislative session Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Emmie Wolf-Dubin, center, yells during a protest outside the House chamber after legislation passed that would allow some teachers to be armed in schools during a legislative session Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Emmie Wolf-Dubin, center, yells during a protest outside the House chamber after legislation passed that would allow some teachers to be armed in schools during a legislative session Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Members of the public who oppose the bill harangued Republican lawmakers after the vote, leading House Speaker Cameron Sexton to order the galleries cleared.

Four House Republicans and all Democrats opposed the bill, which the state Senate previously passed. The measure would bar disclosing which employees are carrying guns beyond school administrators and police, including to students' parents and even other teachers. A principal, school district and law enforcement agency would have to agree to let staff carry guns.

The proposal presents a starkly different response to The Covenant School shooting than Lee proposed last year. Republican legislators quickly cast aside his push to keep guns away from people deemed a danger to themselves or others.

A veto by Lee appears unlikely, since it would be a first for him and lawmakers would only need a simple majority of each chamber's members to override it.

“What you’re doing is you’re creating a deterrent,” the bill’s sponsor, Republican state Rep. Ryan Williams, said before the vote. “Across our state, we have had challenges as it relates to shootings.”

Republicans rejected a series of Democratic amendments, including parental consent requirements, notification when someone is armed, and the school district assuming civil liability for any injury, damage or death due to staff carrying guns.

“My Republican colleagues continue to hold our state hostage, hold our state at gunpoint to appeal to their donors in the gun industry,” Democratic state Rep. Justin Jones said. "It is morally insane.”

In the chaos after the vote, Democratic and Republican lawmakers accused each other of violating House rules, but only voted to reprimand Jones for recording on his phone. He was barred from speaking on the floor through Wednesday.

It's unclear if any school districts would take advantage if the bill becomes law. For example, a Metro Nashville Public Schools spokesperson, Sean Braisted, said the district believes “it is best and safest for only approved active-duty law enforcement to carry weapons on campus.”

About half of the U.S. states in some form allow teachers or other employees with concealed carry permits to carry guns on school property, according to the Giffords Law Center, a gun control advocacy group. Iowa's governor signed a bill that the Legislature passed last week creating a professional permit for trained school employees to carry at schools that protects them from criminal or civil liability for use of reasonable force.

In Tennessee, a shooter indiscriminately opened fire in March 2023 at The Covenant School — a Christian school in Nashville — and killed three children and three adults before being killed by police.

Despite subsequent coordinated campaigns urging significant gun control measures, lawmakers have largely refused. They dismissed gun control proposals by Democrats and even by Lee during regular annual sessions and a special session, even as parents of Covenant students shared accounts of the shooting and its lasting effects.

Under the bill passed Tuesday, a worker who wants to carry a handgun would need to have a handgun carry permit and written authorization from the school’s principal and local law enforcement. They would also need to clear a background check and undergo 40 hours of handgun training. They couldn't carry guns at school events at stadiums, gymnasiums or auditoriums.

Tennessee passed a 2016 law allowing armed school workers in two rural counties, but it wasn't implemented, according to WPLN-FM.

Tennessee Republicans have regularly loosened gun laws, including a 2021 permit-less carry law for handguns backed by Lee.

The original law allowed residents 21 and older to carry handguns in public without a permit. Two years later, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti struck a deal amid an ongoing lawsuit to extend eligibility to 18- to 20-year-olds.

Meanwhile, shortly after the shooting last year, Tennessee Republicans passed a law bolstering protections against lawsuits involving gun and ammunition dealers, manufacturers and sellers. Lawmakers and the governor this year have signed off on allowing private schools with pre-kindergarten classes to have guns on campus. Private schools without pre-K already were allowed to decide whether to let people bring guns on their grounds.

They have advanced some narrow gun limitations. One awaiting the governor's signature would involuntarily commit certain criminal defendants for inpatient treatment and temporarily remove their gun rights if they are ruled incompetent for trial due to intellectual disability or mental illness. Another bill that still needs Senate approval would remove the gun rights of juveniles deemed delinquent due to certain offenses, ranging from aggravated assault to threats of mass violence, until the age of 25.

People protest outside the House chamber after legislation passed that would allow some teachers to be armed in schools during a legislative session Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

People protest outside the House chamber after legislation passed that would allow some teachers to be armed in schools during a legislative session Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, reaches for a piece of candy on the clerk's desk in the House chamber during a legislative session Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. State Republican lawmakers have passed a bill, sponsored by Williams, that would let some teachers and staff carry concealed handguns on public school grounds. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, reaches for a piece of candy on the clerk's desk in the House chamber during a legislative session Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. State Republican lawmakers have passed a bill, sponsored by Williams, that would let some teachers and staff carry concealed handguns on public school grounds. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, left, listens to debate of his bill to allow some teachers to be armed in schools on the House floor during a legislative session Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, left, listens to debate of his bill to allow some teachers to be armed in schools on the House floor during a legislative session Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

People hold signs in the gallery against a bill that would allow some teachers to be armed in schools during a legislative session in the House chamber Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

People hold signs in the gallery against a bill that would allow some teachers to be armed in schools during a legislative session in the House chamber Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

People protest outside the House chamber after legislation passed that would allow some teachers to be armed in schools during a legislative session Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

People protest outside the House chamber after legislation passed that would allow some teachers to be armed in schools during a legislative session Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

State Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, left, listens to debate over his bill to allow some teachers to be armed in school during a legislative session on the House floor Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

State Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, left, listens to debate over his bill to allow some teachers to be armed in school during a legislative session on the House floor Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

People in the gallery of the House chamber are removed by state troopers after a bill allowing some teachers to be armed in schools passes during a legislative session Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

People in the gallery of the House chamber are removed by state troopers after a bill allowing some teachers to be armed in schools passes during a legislative session Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, right, watches his bill to allow some teachers to be armed in schools pass the House as others react during a legislative session Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, right, watches his bill to allow some teachers to be armed in schools pass the House as others react during a legislative session Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Emmie Wolf-Dubin, center, yells during a protest outside the House chamber after legislation passed that would allow some teachers to be armed in schools during a legislative session Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Emmie Wolf-Dubin, center, yells during a protest outside the House chamber after legislation passed that would allow some teachers to be armed in schools during a legislative session Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — It was a frigid winter morning when authorities found a Native American man dead on a remote gravel road in western New Mexico. He was lying on his side, with only one sock on, his clothes gone and his shoes tossed in the snow.

There were trails of blood on both sides of his body and it appeared he had been struck in the head.

Investigators retraced the man's steps, gathering security camera footage that showed him walking near a convenience store miles away in Gallup, an economic hub in an otherwise rural area bordered on one side by the Navajo Nation and Zuni Pueblo on the other.

Court records said the footage and cell phone records showed the victim — a Navajo man identified only as John Doe — was “on a collision course” with the man who would ultimately be accused of killing him.

A grand jury has indicted a man from Zuni Pueblo on a charge of second-degree murder in the Jan. 18 death, and prosecutors say more charges are likely as he is the prime suspect in a series of crimes targeting Native American men in Gallup, Zuni and Albuquerque. Investigators found several wallets, cell phones and clothing belonging to other men when searching his vehicle and two residences.

As people gathered around the nation on Sunday to spotlight the troubling number of disappearances and killings in Indian Country, authorities say the New Mexico case represents the kind of work the U.S. Department of Justice had aspired to when establishing its Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons outreach program last summer.

Special teams of assistant U.S. attorneys and coordinators have been tasked with focusing on MMIP cases. Their goal: Improve communication and coordination across federal, tribal, state and local jurisdictions in hopes of bridging the gaps that have made solving violent crimes in Indian Country a generational challenge.

Some of the new federal prosecutors were participating in MMIP Awareness Day events. From the Arizona state capitol to a cultural center in Albuquerque and the Qualla Boundary in North Carolina, marches, symposiums, art exhibitions and candlelight vigils were planned for May 5, which is the birthday of Hanna Harris, who was only 21 when she was killed on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in Montana in 2013.

It was an emotional day in Albuquerque, where family members and advocates participated in a prayer walk. They chanted: “What do we want? Answers! What do we want? Justice!" There were tears and long embraces as they shared their stories and frustrations. They talked about feeling forgotten and the lack of resources in Native communities.

Geraldine Toya of Jemez Pueblo marched with other family members to bring awareness to the death of her daughter Shawna Toya in 2021. She said she and her husband are artists who make pottery and never dreamed they would end up being investigators in an effort to determine what happened to their daughter.

“Our journey has been rough, but you know what, we're going to make this journey successful for all of our people that are here in this same thing that we're struggling through right now,” she said, vowing to support other families through their heartbreak as they seek justice.

Alex Uballez, the U.S. attorney for the District of New Mexico, told The Associated Press on Friday that the outreach program is starting to pay dividends.

“Providing those bridges between those agencies is critical to seeing the patterns that affect all of our communities,” Uballez said. “None of our borders that we have drawn prevents the spillover of impacts on communities — across tribal communities, across states, across the nation, across international borders.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Eliot Neal oversees MMIP cases for a region spanning New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah and Nevada.

Having law enforcement agencies and attorneys talking to each other can help head off other crimes that are often precursors to deadly violence. The other pieces of the puzzle are building relationships with Native American communities and making the justice system more accessible to the public, Neal said.

Part of Neal's work includes reviewing old cases: time-consuming work that can involve tracking down witnesses and resubmitting evidence for testing.

“We’re trying to flip that script a little bit and give those cases the time and attention they deserve,” he said, adding that communicating with family members about the process is a critical component for the MMIP attorneys and coordinators.

The DOJ over the past year also has awarded $268 million in grants to tribal justice systems for handling child abuse cases, combating domestic and sexual violence and bolstering victim services.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Bree Black Horse was dressed in red as she was sworn in Thursday during a ceremony in Yakima, Washington. The color is synonymous with raising awareness about the disproportionate number of Indigenous people who have been victims of violence.

She prosecutes MMIP cases in a five-state region across California and the Pacific Northwest to Montana. Her caseload is in the double digits, and she's working with advocacy groups to identify more unresolved cases and open lines of communication with law enforcement.

An enrolled member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and a lawyer for more than a decade, Black Horse said having 10 assistant U.S. attorneys and coordinators focusing solely on MMIP cases is unprecedented.

“This is an issue that has touched not only my community but my friends and my family,” she said. “I see this as a way to help make sure that our future generations, our young people don’t experience these same kinds of disparities and this same kind of trauma.”

In New Mexico, Uballez acknowledged the federal government moves slowly and credited tribal communities with raising their voices, consistently showing up to protest and putting pressure on politicians to improve public safety in tribal communities.

Still, he and Neal said it will take a paradigm shift to undo the public perception that nothing is being done.

The man charged in the New Mexico case, Labar Tsethlikai, appeared in court Wednesday and pleaded not guilty while standing shackled next to his public defender. A victim advocate from Uballez's office was there, too, sitting with victims' family members.

Tsethlikai's attorney argued that evidence had yet to be presented tying her client to the alleged crimes spelled out in court documents. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew McGinley argued that no conditions of release would keep the community safe, pointing to cell phone data and DNA evidence allegedly showing Tsethlikai had preyed on people who were homeless or in need of alcohol so he could satisfy his sexual desires.

Tsethlikai will remain in custody pending trial as authorities continue to investigate. Court documents list at least 10 other victims along with five newly identified potential victims. McGinley said prosecutors wanted to focus on a few of the cases “to get him off the street" and prevent more violence.

In this photo provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Washington, U.S. Attorney Vanessa Welder, left, administers the oath of office to Assistant U.S. Attorney Bree Black Horse, right, during a ceremony Thursday, May 2, 2024, at the Yakama Nation Justice Center in Toppenish, Wash. Black Horse is among a team of federal prosecutors and coordinators who are dedicated to working on cases involving the disappearances or killings of Native Americans as part of a U.S. Department of Justice outreach program aimed at addressing the MMIP crisis. (Robert Curry/U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Washington via AP)

In this photo provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Washington, U.S. Attorney Vanessa Welder, left, administers the oath of office to Assistant U.S. Attorney Bree Black Horse, right, during a ceremony Thursday, May 2, 2024, at the Yakama Nation Justice Center in Toppenish, Wash. Black Horse is among a team of federal prosecutors and coordinators who are dedicated to working on cases involving the disappearances or killings of Native Americans as part of a U.S. Department of Justice outreach program aimed at addressing the MMIP crisis. (Robert Curry/U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Washington via AP)

FILE - Family and friends of the missing and murdered march around the California State Capitol at the second annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Summit and Day of Action, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in Sacramento, Calif. Sunday, May 5, marks Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Villegas, File)

FILE - Family and friends of the missing and murdered march around the California State Capitol at the second annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Summit and Day of Action, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in Sacramento, Calif. Sunday, May 5, marks Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Villegas, File)

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