Tennessee is where John Scopes was famously found guilty of teaching evolution. The same state has now concluded that teachers who are not trusted to stick to the curriculum should be armed to protect their students from gun violence.
The House vote was 68-28, with four Republicans joining all 24 Democrats in opposition. The bill is now en route to Governor Bill Lee’s desk, where the R beside his name suggests that a signature is a foregone conclusion.
Adding more weapons to the mix in a state that already ranks as the runner-up in the US for gun tracing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) is tantamount to bringing in aggressive dogs to combat a wild canine infestation.
They are prioritizing gun rights over teacher autonomy and academic freedom while distracting from real solutions. Nothing about this action remotely represents an effort to confront the actual issue of gun violence.
Where is the funding for mental health support? Where is the discussion of cooling-off periods and other reasonable gun control efforts?
As in so many communities on so many issues, this is a tacit way to ask ever more of teachers, which is diametrically opposed to their actual mission. It shifts the blame away from cultural and societal woes while reducing the pressure on the state to help create systemic change.
Those who pushed this new law through are attempting to appear tough on crime while securing their bona fides as purists of the 2nd Amendment. A well-regulated militia is apparently necessary to ensure the safety of our students.
This love affair with weapons of war is in direct contradiction to the mission of public education and the overall goal of productive, meaningful, healthy growth for our youth, unfettered by the threat of a mass shooting. More guns, particularly in the hands of those who are trained to be educators, not warriors, will lead to more, not less, death.
Sure, the Volunteer State will accept teachers who choose to carry and require training, but what kind of teachers will self-select to be the designated gunmen in their school? Any staff who are armed will remain liable for their choices, suggesting that they will be prioritizing firepower over their educational careers and ensuring that the gun toters will not be chosen from among our best and brightest.
The Scopes Monkey Trial drew national attention and resulted in a national debate about the conflict between the fundamentalist belief that the Bible trumped all other human knowledge and the modern realities of science. Here’s hoping that a congruent conversation can now be had about the 2nd Amendment and America’s love affair with firearms, which are similarly out of date in 2024.
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Professional school counselor and varsity wrestling coach at Charlottesville High School in Charlottesville, Virginia. Wilkerson is a father to two teenage boys, Avery and Grady, and husband to April, all of whom are very agreeably disagreeable.
