A new school year is underway as students eagerly return to classrooms to meet their new friends and teachers. In addition to reading, writing, science, and math, students in some states will learn about gun safety.
In Tennessee, students in kindergarten through 12th grade will receive mandatory gun safety lessons during physical education classes, a necessary measure in a state where firearm deaths among children are 37% higher than the national average. The Washington Post paraphrased Amy Maples, the executive director of curriculum and instruction for Memphis-Shelby County Schools, the state’s largest district: “The district will work with local law enforcement and the health department to develop the lessons, which will include examples of how gun violence has affected their community, Maples said. The district is also in discussion with a group of local mothers whose children have died by gun violence, she said.”
It’s likely that “gun violence” is Washington Post speak.
Some parents are upset over teaching gun safety in schools, but why would parents not want their children to learn about gun safety? After all, the program isn’t designed to promote gun ownership or to teach kids how to handle a weapon. “Students will learn how to safely store firearms, what to do if they find one, and the importance of telling an adult immediately,” reports Straight Arrow News. “The lessons must remain neutral on political topics and will not involve live firearms or ammunition. According to the Tennessee state government, each lesson is tailored to the students’ grade level and age, with schools and districts integrating the material. All lessons follow similar safety guidelines: stop, don’t touch, leave the area, and tell an adult.”
A similar program in Utah will be offered this year for students in all grades. Additionally, in Arkansas, the Arkansas Fish and Game Commission will collaborate with the state Department of Education to develop videos, lessons, and potentially off-campus training, with the consent of parents.
Susan Marshall of the Granite School District in Utah explains, “The district will not be teaching students about the safe use of firearms. Instead, students will be presented with information on what to do if they encounter a gun at home, school, or while in public.” Children finding guns without knowing the inherent dangers or how to respond is one of the primary causes of accidents.
Although teaching gun safety to children is an approach spreading around the country, opponents have successfully stopped the idea in some states. For example, the New Hampshire House recently tabled a bill requiring firearm safety training for all public school students.
However, not everyone with strong views on gun ownership opposes teaching gun safety. Back in 2023, parent Lindsay Karp opined about it in USA Today. “Initially, I was opposed to my children receiving gun safety education in school because I’d rather remove guns from our world than mold my children to a world with guns,” she said. “While we hope our children won’t use drugs or have sex at a young age, we still provide them with the knowledge needed to make these safe decisions — in fact, we educate them in hopes they’ll reach an understanding on their own. Why should gun safety be any different?”
One of the unfounded criticisms of teaching kids about guns is that it’s part of some effort to condition children to support the Second Amendment or that it might lead to more gun use. But these programs are focused on safety and reducing accidental deaths. Moreover, they’re necessary when considering the prevalence of guns in American homes.
A popular initiative for kids is the Eddie Eagle GunSafe program administered by the National Rifle Association. The program “neither offers nor asks for any value judgment concerning firearms,” the NRA explains. “Like safety lessons about swimming pools, electrical outlets, and lighters, Eddie Eagle’s sole purpose is to give children crucial information about what to do if they ever come across a gun. With firearms found in about half of all American households, it’s a message that makes sense.”
It’s interesting that many of the same individuals and groups who support gun bans and claim to care about child victims of guns want to stop programs designed to reduce gun accidents and deaths.
And despite claims to the contrary, evidence suggests that gun safety lessons work. In 2023, the Journal of the American Medical Association released the results of a clinical trial finding: “Watching a gun safety video reduced children’s unsafe behavior around real guns. Children who had previously taken a gun safety course, had guns in the home, and had negative attitudes toward guns were less likely to engage in unsafe behavior around real guns. To encourage safe firearm behavior, children should be educated about gun safety and should not watch age-inappropriate media.”
Advocates for gun bans claim they care about young victims, but they’re opposed to helping kids understand why guns are dangerous and measures to help keep them safe. Gun safety education is not a foolproof measure, but it’s a necessary first step. Democrats sometimes validate a program by claiming that if it saves one life, then it’s worthwhile. In this case, we can save countless lives by helping children understand how to respond when they find a gun. It’s good to know that more states are mandating gun safety lessons in schools, and that more children will learn how to respond when they encounter them.
