In the heated debate around Tennessee's new law permitting teachers to carry concealed firearms, Nashville-based security expert JC Shegog calls for alternative measures to protect schools. According to WKRN, Shegog, a former Army and Department of Defense contractor, raised concerns over the implications of combining the roles of educator and armed protector within the same individual.
"We just had children and adults get killed, and they’re still not, in my opinion, being serious about this," Shegog told WKRN in an interview, reflecting on the Covenant School shooting that rocked the community over a year ago, Gov. Bill Lee has maintained the move to arm teachers would add "an additional tool, an additional option for our kids to be as safe as possible," despite potential issues arising from security measures and the need for quick access to the firearm which cannot be locked away, at a time, when the school district is already challenged with the vocation of nurturing young minds.
A critique of this standpoint appeared in the Gun Free Zone, where the author argued that the notion teachers are incapable of responsibly carrying firearms discounts the successful, everyday practice of concealed carry by millions of Americans. The critique extended to Shegog's credibility, implying financial motives may influence security consultants' opposition to arming educators.
Shegog instead advocates for improved school security infrastructure, similar to those seen on college campuses, "Universities have a security department and they have different people in different areas throughout the day and then you have a supervisor, you have a rover, these are the ideal things for a security team," he detailed in an interview obtained by CWSF 2005. While Shegog's approach has not swayed Tennessee policymakers, supporters of the new legislation argue it primarily aids rural districts where hiring school resource officers proves difficult, even though no school district in the state has announced plans to arm teachers since the bill was signed.
