NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A bill allowing staff and faculty at Tennessee's public colleges and universities to be armed on campus has become law without Republican Gov. Bill Haslam's signature.
Haslam said he disagrees with the bill for not allowing campus leaders to make their own decision about allowing guns. But the governor acknowledged that the final version of the measure had addressed some concerns raised by college administrators.
As passed the bill contains provisions protecting colleges from liability in lawsuits. There’s also a requirement for anyone carrying a weapon on campus to notify law enforcement.
In a statement released by the group Mom’s Demand Acton for Gun Sense in America, East Tennessee State Professor Judy Polaha says she’s disappointed Haslam chose “to stand idly by while a dangerous bill that is opposed by law enforcement and campus stakeholders passes into law.”
The National Rifle Association endorsed the guns-on-campus bill and argued against allowing individual institutions to opt out.