Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee moves to boost school safety funding, open to some gun reform after shooting

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee next week will propose funneling millions of new dollars into school security measures in the wake of the deadly Covenant shooting, and the Republican indicated he is open to certain gun reform measures as thousands have called for changes in recent days.

Lee leads a state reeling from the March 27 shooting at the private Christian school in Green Hills.

Students Evelyn Dieckhaus, 9, Hallie Scruggs, 9, and William Kinney 9, as well as head of school Katherine Koonce, 60, substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 61, and custodian Mike Hill, 61, were all killed, in addition to the shooter.

The emotional impact of the tragedy is "enormous," Lee said Friday, amid ongoing community grief.

"I think we all understand when people are fearful, when people are angry, when people lash out. I have those same emotions myself, we all do," Lee said. "We have an obligation, I have an obligation, to do what I can and work together with leaders across this community to address people's concerns and to protect our kids in whatever way we can."

More: 15 minutes of terror: How the Covenant School shooting and Nashville police response unfolded

The governor's plan, which requires legislative approval, would expand an ongoing proposal to place an armed guard at every Tennessee public school and provide grant funding for private schools to do the same. The state would require private schools to hire guards with the same level of training as public school requirements, though it can't require private schools to take advantage of the program.

School resource officers have already been a presence in some Tennessee schools, with Lee earmarking funds in 2019 to pay for 200 SROs. Polling shows a vast majority of parents feel safer with armed security at schools, though some districts have chosen not to deploy SROs at all levels amid concerns they have little effect on firearm incidents.

After a related executive order last year, Lee touted a new school safety plan in his state of the state address earlier this year, with lawmakers in recent weeks considering the legislation that includes penalties for public schools found with security violations.

Lee said he is working over the weekend to hash out details on new budget amendments to fully fund the new school security increases being considered in the wake of the Covenant shooting.

Lee's initial budget proposal this year included a $20-million pot for schools to draw from for building security upgrades, and he plans to propose expanding that fund with additional dollars for private schools.

The new plan would also ask for additional mental health support through school-based behavioral health liaisons, which Lee said has seen a "five-fold" funding increase in recent years. Lee previously established a $250 million mental health "trust fund," which hasn't yet been spent.

"Mental health concerns are something that we have to continue to invest in," Lee said. "There will be conversations across the board about mental health for students and mental health in general. And support for those who need help, and who do in fact become a threat to themselves or others."

More: Nashville school shooting updates: School employee says staff members carried guns

Gun safety reform

Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake said this week the Covenant shooter Audrey Hale obtained seven weapons legally from five retailers, though Hale's parents did not believe Hale should own weapons. The shooter was being treated for an "emotional disorder," per police.

Drake said even if Hale's parents had reported concerns, authorities would have no recourse under current laws. Under extreme risk protection order (ERPO) laws, also known as red flag laws and currently in place in other conservative states such as Florida, authorities could pursue a civil legal order to take away firearms for a limited time period if someone is found to be an elevated risk to themselves or others.

Though Lee wouldn't say directly if he'd support or push for an extreme risk protection law in Tennessee, he said lawmakers are considering many options and he believes some people shouldn't have access to weapons.

"Most practical, thoughtful people believe that individuals who are a threat to themselves or to others shouldn’t have access to weapons," Lee said in a Friday interview with the Tennessean. "In my view, that’s a practical, thoughtful approach."

On Thursday, more than a thousand people protested at the state Capitol calling for increased gun reform. Additional protests, including student walk-outs, are planned in the area in the coming days.

On the House floor Thursday, Rep. Bob Freeman, D-Nashville, told his colleagues "bullets take more children's lives that cancer, car wrecks and fentanyl overdoses."

"I don't understand how we can pass laws every single day to make car seats safer, make it more difficult for deadly narcotics to reach out streets, but we don't do anything about the guns that kill our children," Freeman, who represents the district Covenant is located in, said. "No sensible, law-abiding gun owner should ever have a problem with common-sense gun reforms such as red flag laws, training and permit requirements, background checks and limited access to assault weapons for individual deemed high risk."

Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, said on Thursday he would support a red flag law similar to Florida's, as long is contained protections against false reports. The law, passed in the wake of the 2018 Parkland school shooting, allows judges to temporarily bar high-risk people from purchasing or possession a firearm.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, was less committal but did not openly oppose the idea.

Lee's predecessors, Govs. Bill Haslam and Phil Bredesen, fully support a red flag law, the two said in a Tennessean op-ed on Friday calling for bipartisan gun law solutions.

Tennessee Republicans in recent years have expanded access to guns, and certain factions of the General Assembly are likely to balk at gun access reform legislation.

However, the idea is popular among constituents: According to new Vanderbilt polling, more than 63% of Tennessee parents believe ERPOS would make Tennessee schools safer.

"There’s a balance between protecting the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens and protecting the public from those who intend harm," Lee said. "That’s going to be the way I look at every piece of legislation and every new proposal going forward."

As lawmakers initially attempted to wrap up session by the end of April, the next few weeks will likely be an all-out push to enact at least some new school safety initiative in response to Covenant.

"We can't control evil, but we can do something," Lee said.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to boost school safety, open to gun reform