Providing firearm safety training opportunities to school-aged children is not a novel concept, although utilizing legislative solutions is a newer approach to this old idea. Prior to the 1970s, it was quite standard nationwide for schools to provide variations of firearm or hunter-related safety courses as part of their curriculums. Unfortunately, a trend emerged of polarizing politics over educational merit, and most formalized firearm safety educational opportunities for our nation’s youth had been extinguished in schools by the early 2000s.
As legislative sessions hit their crossover marks and begin to wind down in many states, it has been refreshing to see renewed trends and traction in legislative efforts to help reintroduce the concept of youth firearm safety in schools to address this critical knowledge gap. This year alone, there have been various renditions of bills introduced among the states ranging from mandatory to optional training with varied and scalable models utilizing firearm and hunter safety components. A few states to note:
Georgia’s HB 451 would allow public schools to offer hunter safety education courses in grades six through twelve. With strong bi-partisan support, this bill requires that the state Board of Education develop content standards for instruction in hunting safety no later than April 1, 2026.
In Kansas, HB 2104 aims to standardize firearm safety education programs in school districts, with the goal of promoting student safety and teaching appropriate responses when encountering firearms. The state board of education would be directed to establish curriculum guidelines that vary by grade level with the option to use NRA’s Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program for kindergarten through fifth grade, with additional options to use other established programs for later grades. When a school district chooses to offer firearm safety education, it must follow state-established guidelines and ensure all students have an opportunity to take the course.
Michigan HB 4285 would mandate the development and availability of a model firearm safety instruction program for students in grades six through twelve with topics covered to include proper firearm usage, safe handling, different types of firearms, and safe hunting practices.
In Utah, Governor Cox signed a bill that would make gun safety lessons mandatory for students. While Utah does have a statute in place allowing firearm safety to be taught in schools, this change makes it a required offering. Also, last month Arkansas Governor Sarah Sanders signed Act 229 into law, which requires public and open enrollment public charter schools to provide age-appropriate firearm safety instruction beginning during the 2025-2026 school year.
The aim of these laws is to educate and protect children, clear and simple. Demonizing the ever-increasing community of lawful and safe gun owners by way of caricature in media does not help keep children safe. The very best defense against the weakening of our Second Amendment rights is instilling the next generation with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary in a culture where firearms are a normal and accepted part of life. These legislative efforts to bring back firearm safety education to schools are an important downpayment not just on safety but on restoring and reaffirming America’s traditional values in education.
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