What states allow teachers to carry guns at school? Tennessee and Iowa weigh joining them

Tennessee is joining a growing number of states taking steps toward arming teachers as the nation reels amid increasing numbers of school shootings.

After a former student gunned down six people at a Christian elementary school in Nashville last year, Tennessee lawmakers passed a controversial bill in the state Senate that would allow some teachers to go armed in classrooms. The Covenant School shooter, armed with two assault-like rifles and a handgun, killed the head of school, a teacher, a custodian and three 9-year-old students. As the bill awaits action in the House, students, parents and others are staging vocal protests against allowing teachers to carry guns at school.

But Tennessee is far from alone in a nation plagued with deadly school shootings. Here is a closer look at laws in other states governing guns in schools.

Which states allow teachers to carry firearms on school grounds?

More than half of all states have some type of law allowing teachers and other school employees to carry concealed guns on campus, according to data compiled by the Giffords Law Center.

Iowa is the most recent state to push for more guns, with lawmakers this week sending a bill to the governor that would allow teachers and other school employees to obtain permits to carry guns on school grounds.

Just 16 states and the District of Columbia have laws specifically prohibiting teachers from carrying guns - Alabama, California, Delaware, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Most states, including Tennessee, allow non-law enforcement school security to carry guns on campus, and of the states that allow teachers and other school employees to carry guns, many require permission from the school district.  

Spotlight on teacher gun laws

California, a state with some of the nation’s strictest gun laws, allows non-law enforcement to carry guns without needing permission from the school district, but it prohibits teachers and other school employees from carrying them. 

Texas, Florida, Arizona, Mississippi and South Dakota allow teachers and other employees to carry if they are designated school guardians or part of a program.

Tennessee and Arkansas prohibit teachers in public schools from carrying guns but allow exemptions for private schools. 

Six states - Delaware, Nebraska, North Carolina, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Maine - prohibit guns for non-law enforcement school security, teachers and other staff. 

What do schools allow for the general public?

Most states prohibit members of the general public from carrying guns on campus, but a handful - Kansas Michigan Mississippi New Hampshire Oregon Utah and Wyoming - allow the guns if the individual has a concealed carry permit.

Just over half of all states allow people with concealed carry permits to keep loaded, unlocked guns in their cars on campus.

How would Tennessee's law arming teachers work?

Tennessee’s law would allow facilities or staff to carry concealed guns on their respective campuses. The state already allows non-law enforcement school security to carry.

The individual would have to get permission from the district and a law enforcement agency. The district would not be required to notify parents if a gun is in their child’s classroom.

A teacher would have to follow these additional requirements: 

• Have a valid handgun carry permit
• Undergo a background check
• Complete 40 hours of additional training
• Pass a psychological evaluation

How would Iowa's bill arming teachers work?

Lawmakers in Iowa introduced legislation after a deadly shooting at Perry High School in January, when a high school student shot and killed sixth-grader Ahmir Jolliff and Principal Dan Marburger and wounded half a dozen others before fatally shooting himself.

The legislation sent to Gov. Kim Reynolds this week would allow teachers and other school employees to obtain permits to carry guns on school grounds and grant them qualified immunity for using reasonable force.

"Time and math do not lie," said Rep. Phil Thompson, R-Boone, the bill's manager on the Iowa House floor said. "The first 30 seconds in these scenarios are extremely critical. This bill does set a high standard for districts and staff that want to participate in this and go the extra mile to protect our kids."

Those who want to carry firearms at school under the bill would have to go through a permit process that includes one-time, in-person legal training covering qualified immunity, emergency medical training and communication training, as well as quarterly firearm training and annual "live scenario" training.

Opponents say arming teachers will lead to accidental shootings

Gun violence prevention groups have held protests and spoken out against the legislation, saying it will make students and school employees less safe by increasing the likelihood of accidents involving guns in schools.

"It does nothing to protect children who might be the victim of crossfires, of accidents, of a gun not being properly stored or a curious student finding a gun and accidentally injuring other children," said Iowa, Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, D-Ames.

A 2023 report from the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence documented about 100 incidents of guns being mishandled, left in reach of children or accidentally discharged at schools over the last five years.