Two U.S. senators from Tennessee announced that they would introduce legislation to help fund public and private schools in the wake of the Nashville mass shooting.

According to Sens., the bill’s core is the The Securing Aid for Every School Act (SAFE), which provides $900 million in grant programs. Marsha Blackburn (Republican-TN) and Bill Hagerty(Republican-TN).

According to a fact sheet on Blackburn and Hagerty’s bill, states can use the grant money in many ways. They can train and hire veterans and ex-law enforcement officers to be school safety officers or hire off-duty law enforcement officers.

The legislation is an alternative to gun control measures that Democrats are pushing, including President Joe Biden. It was introduced following the shooting at The Covenant School, which resulted in three children’s deaths and three faculty members being killed. Law enforcement killed the shooter, who was identified as transgender.

Blackburn released a statement saying that he was “beyond heartbroken” by the incident at Nashville’s Covenant School. “No parent should have the burden of what these families are going through. Schools should provide safe places for children to learn, play and be children.

She said, “By providing these crucial funds, we can help preserve our precious children” and “secure our schools,” she continued.

Hagerty and Blackburn, who have pushed similar legislation previously, said they have the support and cooperation of Tennessee leaders, school safety advocates and veterans along with local, federal and state law enforcement officials and organizations. Republican Tennessee Governor is one of them. Bill Lee said that he admires Blackburn’s and Hagerty’s “proposed legislation to secure public- and private schools across America.”

Although Tennessee has an existing training program for school resource officers, the fact sheet stated that the SAFE School will not interfere with that program. The document states that it would provide “supplemental resources in addition” to other programs like Tennessee’s Safe Schools Act.

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Hagerty stated in a statement that “the heroic bravery of first responders and law enforcement officers who quickly ran into danger, along with the actions of teachers and staff who deployed security measures saved many lives, and underscores the critical role school-security planning, and personnel in dealing with depraved and evil acts.” “That is why I have joined Senator Blackburn in introducing legislation to provide additional security resources for our schools and children.”