Sen. Blackburn Introducing Legislation to Hire Officers to Harden Schools

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is introducing legislation to designate $900 million in grants to enable schools to hire off-duty officers, train and hire veterans, and take other measures to harden school campuses.

Blackburn’s legislation is cosponsored by Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN).

Blackburn released a statement on the legislation, saying:

I am beyond heartbroken at the shooting that occurred at the Covenant School in Nashville. No parent should have to endure what these families are experiencing. Schools should be places where children are safe to learn, play, and be children. My legislation with Senator Hagerty will allow both public and private schools to train and hire veterans and former law enforcement officers to serve as school safety officers as well as increase physical security measures to harden schools. By providing these critical funds, we can help protect our precious children and secure our schools.

Hagerty also commented:

The Covenant School community, the city of Nashville, and our home state of Tennessee have suffered unspeakable, heartbreaking loss this week, and I join the families of the victims and all those affected in mourning this incomprehensible tragedy. The heroic bravery of law enforcement officers and first responders who quickly ran into danger, as well as the actions of teachers, staff, and students who deployed security measures, saved many other lives and underscore the critical role of school-security planning and personnel in the face of depraved, evil acts. That’s why I’ve joined Senator Blackburn in introducing this legislation to provide additional security resources to keep our schools and children safe.

On March 27, the day of the attack on the Christian school, Breitbart News pointed to FOX News’ John Roberts’ comments that the school did not have any armed resource officers on campus to protect the students and teachers.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. AWR Hawkins holds a Ph.D. in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.