Tennessee has taken a significant step in addressing mass shootings with the passage of new legislation that mandates autopsies for shooters. On April 10, 2025, the state legislature approved bills HB 1349 and SB 1146, aimed at investigating the potential connections between psychiatric drugs and violent behavior.
The bills require the medical examiner’s office to document any psychotropic drugs found in the systems of individuals who have committed mass shootings. Additionally, the University of Tennessee’s health science center is tasked with studying how these drugs interact with other substances present in the deceased. The Department of Health will also be required to make information about the psychotropic drug use of these individuals available to the public upon request.
The legislation received strong support, passing the Tennessee House with a vote of 76-20 and the Senate with a vote of 27-5. The autopsies will be carried out at one of the five regional forensic centers in the state. Once completed, the results will be shared with the University of Tennessee’s College of Pharmacy and the Department of Health.
This move comes in the wake of a tragic shooting incident in March 2023, where a transgender woman took the lives of six people at a Nashville Christian school. A report from the Nashville Metropolitan Police highlighted the shooter’s mental health struggles, noting that her anxiety, depression, and rage worsened over time, despite ongoing therapy and medication.
The goal of these new laws is to find common factors among mass shooters in Tennessee, particularly regarding their medication. By examining the autopsy results, lawmakers hope to gain insights that could lead to better understanding and prevention of such violent acts in the future.