Image Credit: capitol.tn.gov
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
A private school handgun bill will move on to full committee after passing out of the House Civil Justice Subcommittee yesterday.
House Bill 1631 (HB1631) sponsored by Representative Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood-District 61) expands state law that already allows a private school serving grades K-12 to make handgun carry policy for their school. This bill will allow private schools that serve PreK-12 to also make policies for their schools.
Bulso attempted to have similar legislation passed during the 2023 special session on gun safety after the tragedy at the Covenant School in Nashville. While his bill passed on first consideration in the House, the Senate chose not to pick it up.
Bills from a summer session are not automatically carried over to the next general session hence Bulso filing the legislation again this year.
Sarah Shoop Neumann, mother of a child who attends the Covenant School, testified before the subcommittee yesterday afternoon to bring objections to Bulso’s bill. It was her opinion, she stated, that the bill would put students at risk of harm from those who merely had a Tennessee handgun permit and not more extensive training for active shooter situations.
A comment The Tennessee Conservative received on our earlier story regarding this bill suggests that Neumann’s opinion is not accurate.
Gary Johnston, retired from law enforcement, had this to say:
“The only deterrent a potential school shooter would really think hard about is the knowledge that he would likely encounter armed personnel in said school that he was contemplating attacking. These individuals have proven time and time again to be mentally unstable but they are not stupid. They are highly motivated to succeed and hardening the schools would be a serious deterrent.”
House Bill 1631 passed the House Civil Justice Subcommittee, chaired by Representative Lowell Russell (R-Vonore-District 21) by Voice Vote with Ayes prevailing.
Because Chairman Russell chose to use a voice vote to hide the voting records of subcommittee members from public scrutiny, we can only assume Chairman Russell supports HB1641 and is responsible for the passage of HB1631. Chairman Russell could have used a transparent roll call vote, but opted for a voice vote to shield committee members and himself from accountability and in this case, responsibility for the passage of a conservative bill’s passage out of the subcommittee.
According to a statement made by Rep. Jody Barrett (R-Dickson-District 69) on the Mill Creek View Tennessee Podcast, all a legislator has to do in order to have their voice vote recorded is give a thumbs up or a thumbs down to the clerk. This means that it is very easy for legislators to put their vote on the record and create transparency with their constituents if they choose to.
However, only Representative Antonio Parkinson (D-Memphis-District 98), the only Democrat on the subcommittee chose to signal the clerk to have his vote counted. Parkinson’s vote was counted as “No”.
HB1631 will now move on to the full House Civil Justice Committee but has not yet appeared on their calendar upon publication of this article.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative.
You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
