New TN law mandates armed school officers complete active shooter training
Nashville TN June 22 2023 Starting July 1st, a new Tennessee law will require all armed security guards to go through active shooter training before they can protect schools.
The new law is part of Governor Bill Lee’s push to make schools safer. FOX13 spoke with Bennie Cobb, a retired law enforcement officer and certified active shooter trainer, about the kind of training he provides.
“We train security guards how to look for the suspect, how to safely search rooms, when they encounter a suspect, to neutralize them if this suspect didn’t give up,” said Cobb.
On top of the active shooter training, the new law will require all security guards, armed and unarmed, to receive their trainings and certifications before they are placed at a school. As of June 22, 2023, unarmed security guards had just 15 days left to receive their training while armed security guards had 60 days remaining.
The law also mandates that the training course be no less than 8 hours.
The new law comes roughly three months after the mass shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville.
Three children and three adults were killed. Kelvin Malone recently went through Cobb’s active shooter training. Malone tells FOX13 he’s in support of the new requirements for security guards.
“That’s something that’s needed because a lot of time when you go into these schools and if they don’t know what to do, they not only put themselves in jeopardy, but the teachers and students as well,” said Malone.
If an armed security guard is found providing services to school without meeting these requirements, the new law makes that a Class A misdemeanor punishable by a fine.
Cobb told FOX13 this new law puts security guards on a similar level with law enforcement.
“Our police officers have been trained in active shooter for years and years now. We’re leveling the playing field with bringing in security officers into the fold and training them how to respond,” said Cobb.
Cobb said he is offering his active shooter trainings three to four times a week. If you want to schedule a training, you can reach out to Cobb directly at 901-649-8539.
