NASHVILLE, Tenn. — On Monday, a shooter opened fire at a Christian private school in Nashville, killing three children and three adults. The shooter shot through the glass of a door and entered the building.
Since then, the Nashville community and communities across the U.S. have grieved and demanded change. On Thursday, a group gathered at the Tennessee capitol and marched through with signs and chants, demanding stricter gun laws. Most protesters were removed from the gallery after some began yelling down at the lawmakers, “Children are dead!"
Lt. Gov. Randy McNally sent a letter to Governor Bill Lee asking for schools across the state to upgrade their security.
"I have also thought deeply about what policies the state could adopt to prevent such events in the future," the letter said. "I believe it is important for us to have a conversation about how to increase and modernize security at schools in Tennessee. Much like the institution of fire codes has decreased the amount of school building fires, I believe we can come up with something similar for school safety."
He listed four specific proposals that he said could be implemented to prevent future school shootings in the state. They are listed below.
- Securing windows and glass in school buildings — "As you know, the perpetrator in the most recent school shooting shot out the glass of the school's doors to gain entry. My understanding is that there is a film that can be affixed to the windows and doors in schools that would be bulletproof or resistant."
- Magnetic locks on doors — "Keyed locks can cause delays in police response in an emergency. Magnetic locks, however, can be critical in keeping shooters out while allowing police and first responders speedier access in a crisis."
- Centralized and modernized camera systems — "Outfitting schools with the latest security camera systems can also assist in response to these incidents. If police can get immediate access to these systems, they can quickly identify the location of the perpetrator and can work even faster to eliminate the threat and keep children safe."
- Armed guards — "While we have made great progress in making sure our public schools have access to school resource officers, I believe we can do more. Reports indicate that the shooter at Covenant chose the school because of its minimal security. If we can ensure that all schools, public and private, have armed guards, we may be able to cut down on these events significantly."
The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department has not released a motive for the shooting as of Thursday evening.