The House Civil Justice Committee proved to be nearly as eventful on Wednesday as its subcommittee the day before.
Representative Jason Powell, D-Nashville, began the meeting by calling for subcommittee chair Representative Lowell Russell, R-Venore, to apologize for removing the spectators who were holding signs and clapping during Tuesday’s meeting. That included family members of Covenant School Shooting survivors.
“I think the member and the chair of this Civil Justice Subcommittee owes the public and the people of Tennessee an apology for the way they were treated yesterday. That has no place in this building and to turn a school shooting tragedy into a travesty of democracy and the First Amendment is shameful. And I would ask that member to share with many of these people who are in our audience today, who couldn’t be here, and who are watching to express that apology and make sure that never happens again,” said Representative Powell.
Committee Chair Andrew Farmer, R-Sevierville, provided that apology to the crowd.
“People have to show some respect when people are talking so they can have their opinions and expressions viewed by others,” said Farmer. “I apologize to folks who felt offended yesterday by what happened but unfortunately it did, there’s nothing we can do about it, but we don’t want it to happen again.”
Representative Farmer also let the crowd know signs will be allowed as long as they don’t block the view of others. The chairs of other committees in both chambers expressed similar statements to spectators, following a Chancery Court ruling Tuesday morning in favor of a challenge of the House sign ban by the ACLU.
Extensive Gun Debate
Much like Tuesday’s Civil Justice Subcommittee meeting, HB7064 received extensive debate and opposition from Democrats and Covenant School families. The bill would allow active and retired members of law enforcement and the military along with enhanced handgun carry permit holders the ability to go armed on PreK-12 school grounds.
The legislation does not change the requirement for off-duty officers to inform the principal of the private schools when they are entering the property or carrying.
“We have administrators in schools that are literally begging us for this ability. They have their enhanced carry permits and they’re begging us for this ability because they see these vulnerable children and they want to add protection to them along with the SROs (security resource officers) that are there,” said Representative Chis Todd, R-Madison. “We got retired officers that are asking us for this, we’ve got current officers that are asking us for this knowing they’re about to retire, and they want to volunteer.”
Representative Torrey C. Harris, D-Memphis, was among those who opposed the bill, questioning if the change was necessary when the General Assembly has already approved funding for more security resource officers.
“What if someone overreacts and jumps the gun before something even happens? And we’ve now allowed for more individuals to be in place on these campuses who aren’t already prepared and trained. We have safety plans put in place for a reason that involve a lot of individuals who can make some of these decisions without actually having someone who can just randomly come on campus with guns at this point,” said Representative Harris.
Representative Harris also questioned whether or not retired dishonorably discharged military officers would be allowed to carry on school campuses.
Two parents of Covenant School shooting survivors also came to testify against the bill.
Melissa Alexander’s ten-year-old son was in a classroom near where the shootout happened. Alexander asked legislators to vote down the bill because she believes it would only lead to more deaths in a school shooting.
“These kids knew they were gonna die. And now they live, thankfully the police were so brave and obviously dissipated the situation and rescued our children, but now our children are survivors, and they live with that trauma every single day. And what I’m telling you today is if we bring guns into school and we have shootouts like the one that happened at Covenant between teachers who hands were shaking, who can barely steady a small handgun up against an assault rifle, all that’s gonna do is kill that teacher, put that teacher in danger, and then put the rest of that classroom in danger,” said Alexander. “I am a gun owner myself, I’ve been shooting guns most of my life, I too would have been shaking like our teacher.”
Rebecca Hanson’s two children attend Covenant as well. Her six-year-old son was outside of the building when the school realized they were dealing with an active shooter.
Hanson said that the armed representatives already stationed at the school were not deterrents.
“Expecting a handgun to go up against a semi assault rifle that can expound multiple rounds within minutes is just going to add another death. It is unreasonable to expect us, a small gun, to go against that powerful of a weapon,” said Hanson. “I am begging you, on behalf of my children who are forever traumatized and will have to live with the trauma of being hunted at school, to please pass “No” on this bill.”
House members voted to advance the bill, causing the spectators to erupt in protest.
Members in the Senate Judiciary Committee table a companion bill Tuesday and it’s unclear if Senators will revive it.
