By Serdar Dincel
ISTANBUL (AA) - Lawmakers in the US state of Tennessee passed a bill on Tuesday that allows school staff and teachers to carry concealed handguns on school grounds, amid a protest from the gallery.
"I believe that this is a method by which we can do that, because what you're doing is you're creating a deterrent," Republican state representative Ryan Williams said on the House floor, according to NBC News.
According to him, the bill would prop up school safety.
The move came a year after a shooter opened fire and killed six people at the state's Nashville school.
The bill was passed in a 68-28 vote in the Republican-majority Tennessee House. Also Republican-dominated, the State Senate approved the bill earlier this month.
The House’s approval came amid protests from the gallery, with the protesters chanting "Blood on your hands.”
Under the legislation, faculty and staff members wishing to carry a concealed handgun on school grounds are required to complete a minimum of 40 hours of approved training specific to school policing each year, according to NBC News.
Tennessee is not the only state to pass legislation allowing teachers to carry guns.
According to the Giffords Law Center, a gun violence prevention group, no less than 26 states have laws allowing teachers or other school staff to possess guns on school grounds, with some exceptions.