Following the deadly school shooting in Nashville killing six people, many states are now looking to pass legislation that would increase security measures in their schools.
Tennessee, Missouri, and Oregon legislatures are currently drafting bills looking to increase security in schools by implementing video surveillance, emergency buttons, and communication systems after the 28-year-old transgender murderer shot and killed three children and three adults at the Covenant School. School shootings are increasing alarmingly and Democrats want stricter gun control while Republicans want to arm school faculty.
In an interview with the Tennessean, Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said, “I think we all understand when people are fearful, when people are angry, when people lash out. I have those same emotions myself, we all do. We have an obligation, I have an obligation, to do what I can and work together with leaders across this community to address people’s concerns and to protect our kids in whatever way we can.”
The Governor recently backed legislation proposing private schools to hire armed officers giving the schools grant money to help implement the plan. In Tennessee, the current state law requires every public school to have at least one armed guard or resource officer.
Lee has increased the Tennessee budget for school security by $20 million and would also like to expand mental health services in K-12 public schools.
Oregon is proposing a law that requires public schools to alert parents immediately if their is a safety threat on the property, making it the fourth state to enact such a law. The legislature is also considering adding a requirement for schools in install panic buttons that directly notify law enforcement of an emergency. According to Democratic state Rep. Emerson Levy, “If there’s anything we know, it’s that during an emergency, time equals life.”
The Missouri House of Representatives passed in the 2024 budget a plan to allocate $50 million to public schools for installation of intercoms, video surveillance, and door locking devices in an effort to secure their schools.
In a statement from Nashville Police, they revealed the school shooter originally planned to attack a mall but decided against that because of “too much security.”
In Tennsesse, the Republican House Majority Leader William Lamberth is committed to keep schools safe and secure adding, “I was asked by a colleague if our schools will have to become fortresses to keep our kids safe. And I told them yes, if that’s what it takes. I don’t care if we have to park a tank outside a school.”