NASHVILLE — Republicans on the Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee blocked consideration of all gun-related bills Tuesday.
That decision included delaying a measure whose Democratic sponsor had hoped to amend it with a “red flag” extreme risk provision in response to last week’s deadly Nashville private school shooting in which six people, including three children, died at the hands of an assailant.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, announced last week following the shooting at The Covenant School that remaining gun bills would not be heard for the remainder of the year, and he planned to move all remaining measures to 2024.
And that’s what happened Tuesday as several measures, mostly introduced by Republican members, were also moved to next year’s session.
Among them was a bill sponsored by Sen. Paul Bailey, R-Cookeville. Bailey’s bill sought to allow school faculty and staff with 40 hours of firearms training to possess a concealed handgun at schools.