NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A bill allowing staff and faculty at Tennessee’s public colleges and universities to be armed on campus has become law without Republican Gov. Bill Haslam’s signature.
Haslam said in a statement Monday that he disagreed with the bill for not allowing campus leaders to make their own decision about allowing guns. But the governor acknowledged that the final version of the measure had addressed concerns raised by college administrators, with provisions protecting colleges from liability in lawsuits and a requirement to notify law enforcement about who is armed on campus.
The National Rifle Association had argued against allowing individual institutions to opt out of the guns-on-campus bill.
The bill was sponsored by Rep. Andy Holt of Dresden and fellow Republican Sen. Mike Bell of Riceville.
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True fact: some of the first Texans were from Tennessee.
Looks like my daughter will be going to her backup school.
Tennessee is, unremarkably, short on good universities. But Vanberbilt should now be struck off anyone’s list. I certainly wouldn’t let anyone I cared about attend a school where the undergrads might be packing heat. Great combo: 18-year-olds, away from home for the first time, drunk, and armed.
Kids recently out of high school, on their own for the first time, just getting into legally drinking, unsupervised parties, add guns…what could go wrong?
Exactly.