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The Tennessee Conservative [By Rebecca Scott] –
A set of companion bills were introduced in the Tennessee House and Senate on February 1st regarding firearm safety training in Tennessee’s public schools.
House Bill 2882 (HB2882), sponsored by Representative Chris Todd (R-Madison County-District 73), and Senate Bill 2923 (SB2923), sponsored by Senator Paul Bailey (R-Sparta-District 15), require “beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, each local education agency and public charter school to provide students with age-appropriate and grade-appropriate instruction on firearm safety. – Amends TCA Title 49, Chapter 6.”
Instruction on firearm safety would need to be deemed age appropriate for each level being taught. According to the bill, this will be determined by the Department of Education and the Department of Safety, in consultation with the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission by studying “all relevant data and risk factors, including the earliest age at which incidents of injury involving firearms are reported and the earliest age at which children are susceptible to harm from found firearms.”
However, the bill text states that “The instruction must begin with the earliest appropriate grade..”
According to the bill, students will be taught:
A) Safe storage of firearms
B) School safety relating to firearms
C) How to avoid injury if the student finds a firearm
D) To never touch a found firearm
E) To immediately notify an adult of the location of a found firearm
The bill also states that the instruction must be taught with neutrality on political topics such as gun rights, gun violence and the Second Amendment.
No usage or presence of live ammunition, live fire or live firearms will be permitted for the instruction.
The instruction required in the legislation may be provided in a classroom setting, through the viewing of a video, or through the review of online resources or materials, as determined by the department of education.
With reports of weapons being brought onto school property, accidental shootings amongst minors, and concerns over the rise in school violence, questions are likely to arise on both sides of the aisle as the bills progress through the legislative process.
Rebecca Scott is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative.
You can reach Rebecca at Rebecca@tennesseeconservativenews.com