Gun control activists are still making a stink about Tennessee’s new law allowing school districts to authorize trained and vetted staff to carry a concealed firearm while on the clock, but Second Amendment advocate Nikki Goeser is giving the public a reality check about the law and what it means for student safety. 

In a new column at the Tennessean, Goeser shares the painful memory of her husband Ben’s murder in a “gun-free zone”; killed by a man who was stalking Goeser, and who chose to carry out his attack while the couple were hosting a karaoke night at a bar, where firearms were prohibited by law at the time. Though Goeser had a concealed carry license, she chose to comply with the law and leave her gun locked in her car that night. Her husband’s killer, on the other hand, had no qualms about violating the “gun-free zone”. As Goeser writes, while her story might be unique, killings in “gun-free zones” are all too common.

According to a 2018 report by Crime Prevention Research Center, a research and education organization on guns, crime and public safety, 94% of mass public shootings occur in “Gun Free Zones.”

In my home state of Tennessee, where three 9‑year‑old children and three adults were massacred at The Covenant School, the killer’s manifesto made a note to check the parking lot for security before entering the building. The killer had “looked at” two other schools, both public, before deciding “the security was too great to do what (the alleged shooter) wanted to do.” 

So, the killer chose a private Christian school, where the security “is a whole lot less,” while updating the murderous plot to attack the more vulnerable location, in order to get a higher body bag count.

Clearly, these evil people aren’t looking for a fair fight. They want full control and no opposition along the way. That’s why “Gun Free Zones” continue to be their No. 1 destination for a massacre.

Goeser also took time to dispell some of the myths and misinformation about the new law, which doesn’t mandate armed school staff. Instead, it’s left up to the school district to decide if they want to deploy that option.

Through this legislation, teachers who have a handgun carry permit, written authorization from both the school’s principal and local law enforcement, and complete 40 hours of firearms training will have the ability to carry concealed on campus. In an active shooter situation, police will already know exactly who the legally armed teachers are, and those teachers will have the ability to quickly respond, neutralize the threat, and ultimately prevent or reduce the loss of life that can occur before police are able to arrive on scene. 

We’ve already seen some of the biggest school districts in the state announce they won’t approve any staff members carrying firearms on the clock, and though I think that’s the wrong decision, it’s still their choice to keep staff unarmed. Undoubtably, though, there will be plenty of smaller districts, many of them in rural areas, that choose to take advantage of the new law. They don’t have dedicated school resource officers, and a first responder may not be able to quickly get to a campus in case of a targeted attack. Having armed school staff in those locations provides another layer of security for both students and employees, and like Goeser, I’m glad that these districts now have the option of deploying this strategy.