TN School Shooting Threat Reignites Mental Health Debate

Or, at least, it should. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

The Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) in Memphis is part of a statewide system designed to give students hands-on training in skilled trades and technical careers. It isn’t a traditional four-year university. It’s the kind of place where you’re more likely to find someone welding or working on a diesel engine than debating philosophy. But like so many schools in this country, it’s now been added to the long and growing list of educational institutions touched by the threat of gun violence.

On May 29th, 19-year-old student Terrence “T.J.” Jones sent a chilling text to a fellow student, warning them not to come to class. He claimed he was planning to shoot up the classroom and then take his own life. Fortunately, that message was taken seriously. The Tennessee Department of Homeland Security got involved. Police tracked him down a few days later at the Alabama Avenue campus and found a loaded Glock 27 next to the driver’s side door of his vehicle. No one was harmed, but this could have ended very differently.

Jones now faces two charges, carrying a weapon on school property and making a threat of mass violence. His bond was set at $10,000, and local leaders have since toured the school, using the opportunity to push for mental health resources and new safety measures. That’s fine. But this isn’t new. It’s routine.

Tennessee has a long and disturbing history with school shootings and threats. Twenty years ago, a student opened fire at Campbell County High School, killing one and wounding two others. In 2010, a student was shot at Central High School in Knoxville. More recently, the 2023 Covenant School shooting in Nashville claimed the lives of six victims and reignited a national conversation. Then there was Antioch High School in 2025. And now, TCAT-Memphis nearly joined that list for real.

But this story? Barely got a blip in the news cycle.

Two decades ago, this would have dominated headlines. Now, it’s background noise. A passing mention. The bar for what counts as “newsworthy” when it comes to potential mass shootings in schools has been raised to horrifying heights. And for every story like this that I manage to cover, there are more I just don’t have the time to write about. That should tell you everything you need to know.

And don’t bother asking where Jones got the gun. In Tennessee, that question is meaningless. You can’t buy a handgun from a licensed dealer until you’re 21, but you can own one at 18 through a private sale. That’s not a loophole. It’s a crater. It’s the biggest case of the so-called “gun show loophole” I can remember. It’s fully legal, fully accessible, and utterly irresponsible.

Of course, now the old debate kicks up again. Is this a gun issue or a mental health issue? And if it’s the latter, please tell me where exactly is a 19-year-old student supposed to go for immediate mental health treatment at a price he can afford? Show me the walk-in clinic that treats suicidal ideation in young adults for less than a car payment. I’ll wait.

Meanwhile, the same people who point to mental health as the root cause also tend to think antidepressants are part of the problem. They argue that treatment makes people dangerous. Isn’t that what Orwell called doublespeak? Say one thing, mean another, use both to paralyze progress.

Tennessee schools are being tested again and again, and we still haven’t figured out how to respond in a way that isn’t just reactive. How long until one of these near misses becomes another tragedy? Or worse, how many already have, and we just didn’t pay attention?

(Sources)