Outside of the theatrics by the Tennessee House Democrats, SB1325, the bill that would allow teachers and staff to conceal carry a handgun while on school grounds cleared the House 68-28. It has received passage from both chambers and is expected to be signed by Governor Bill Lee. T

he usual suspects, namely Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action have their panties in a knot. 

"The passage of this reckless law is a black mark on the history of the Tennessee legislature, and we urge @GovBillLee to listen to concerned parents and teachers and veto it." - @JohnFeinblatt on Tennessee passing dangerous arming teachers legislationhttps://t.co/LEvsqP3MIp

— Everytown (@Everytown) April 24, 2024

The gun control organizations tried to influence House members by commissioning one of their student activists to write an op-ed. 

"Teachers like me are trained to educate kids. Arming us will make everyone less safe," was published in the local Tennessean last Thursday. Short of lacking conviction, it also reflects a lack of confidence in the writer and exposes her as a neophyte. The subhead reads: "A teacher's job is to teach. We all agree that keeping students safe is the priority and I would take a bullet for my students."

So, instead of being willing to take a bullet, why not just defend yourself and the students by being armed? What the writer is really saying is she would rather be a martyr than a protector. You see, a protector would actually save lives and support the cause of armed self-defense, whereas a martyr would help the gun-control agenda. Dead teachers and dead children allow them to scream louder for more laws and restrictions.

The supposed "teacher" is actually a college student. Barbara "Bobbi" Sloan is a junior at Vanderbilt University, and a student leader for Students Demand Action. Sloan has been a vocal presence (read, strategic plant) since the tragic Covenant Christian School shooting in Nashville. Sloan was first quoted in Vanderbilt's student publication "The Hustler" (unfortunate name) reacting to the shooting in 2023.

Sophomore Bobbi Sloan said the event reminded her of how dangerous elementary education — her future career — is. 

“If I die, I will be another statistic,” Sloan said. “We are all afraid. More so, we are sick and tired of being disposable.”

"Disposable?" Her dramatic and hyperbolic take would appear again in an Everytown for Gun Safety press release on April 9 commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Covenant shooting and warning against the passage of SB1325.

“As a student studying to be a teacher, I know that managing a classroom is already tough enough without adding a deadly weapon into the mix,” said Bobbi Sloan, a volunteer leader with Vanderbilt Students Demand Action chapter. “For every gun that’s placed in a classroom, a new opportunity is created for students to become another statistic. This is not the solution. In fact, it’s absolutely absurd to respond to our cries for change with a bill that will only endanger us more.” 

 Sloan presented similar arguments in this last-ditch op-ed effort to urge the House to not take up the bill. 

Managing a classroom is taxing, it takes an incredible amount of focus and dedication for not only students, but also teachers, to get through a single lesson.

And these difficulties are all without deadly weapons in the mix. Our attention should be on students, not firearms. Guns are already the leading cause of death for my generation – and my students’ generation –  and this would only increase the risk for me and my students.

More guns in more places do not make us safer, especially schools. The risk of a shooting increases when we bring guns into the classroom. There have already been several incidents of guns unintentionally or intentionally discharged on school grounds by school staff. 

This is an odd claim, as 32 states now allow teachers and staff to carry a firearm on the grounds. USCCA documented an actual study that disproves Sloan's claims.

A 2014 study conducted by Eric Dietz, a Purdue professor and homeland security expert, found that “having either an armed guard or armed staff on school grounds can reduce the number of casualties in a mass shooting situation by up to 70 percent by, at the very least, slowing an attacker.” Proper training — including safe storage, active shooter scenarios and target practice — could arm teachers with the proper knowledge needed during emergency situations.

“Time is your ally,” Dietz stated. With an uptick of school shootings, state and local governments have become proactive to curtail these atrocities by arming and training their teachers and staff for such emergencies.

Sloan then claims that it's a danger for children to have access to these guns on their teacher's person and then speaks of multiple situations where guns were misplaced or stolen.

Not only that but research also strongly suggests that children will access guns when they are present. There have been multiple situations where guns carried into schools were misplaced and several more where they were outright stolen by students.

However, Sloan fails to bring the receipts. Cam Edwards at our sister site Bearing Arms had this to say about Sloan's evidence for her claims.  

Yet even they don't produce a single study that shows arming teachers creates negative outcomes. The closest they come is to note that most school shooters are "affiliated" with the school, most being current or former students. Well, we know this. Yet none of those students obtained their guns from an armed teacher in any way, shape, or form.

The other is the long-debunked claim that the presence of a firearm increases the risk of someone dying due to a gunshot. That particular bit, however, includes suicides by gun owners and doesn't focus on firearms possessed by teachers.

So yeah, I'm unconvinced by the "research" that seemingly doesn't exist. At all.

If there were actual research at that link, it likely would find that many states already allow armed teachers and so far, there have been no real problems resulting from it. None. 

There is more documented evidence of gun violence at schools being mitigated, thwarted, and lives actually saved where teachers and staff are armed.

Furthermore, there are numerous accounts of armed staff helping to block or stop school shootings, such as the Pearl, Mississippi, shooting that involved an assistant principal retrieving a handgun and subduing the shooter. Another example would be the Sullivan Central High School incident in which a gunman ended up in a standoff with the school resource officer. The only shots fired that day were from law enforcement, and with the quick actions of these brave, responsibly armed Americans, many lives were saved.

What's more, the legislation does not force Sloan, or any teacher for that matter, to carry a firearm. Yet, Sloan treats the fact that guns would be within the school walls as some sort of violation of sacred space, and an invitation to welcome violence.

Arming teachers is a gateway to more violence. I thought my biggest worry as a teacher would be making sure my students succeed, but now my focus has shifted, because I’m forced to think about how to save one of my students' lives if they get struck with a bullet.

Can she not walk and chew gum at the same time? Without the addition of a firearm, Sloan will have to deal with multiple situations that hamper or prevent her student's success, but she comes off as someone who cannot handle more than one situation at a time. If that's the case, then why would I want her to educate my child? Whether it's a gun or a fistfight, Sloan lacks the confidence—and maybe the competence—to handle either situation. 

June 18 will be the 5th annual National Train a Teacher Day, which exists to train, educate, and empower teachers, staff, and administrators in gun safety and concealed carry, all with the mission of protecting children. If Sloan were an honest broker, she would do herself a favor and take advantage of this opportunity to be trained in not only educating her charges but in confidently protecting them should the need arise. But like most gun-control activists, Sloan won't allow actual facts to get in the way of the agenda to erode 2A rights.