I’ve long said that if you want mandatory gun safety training for people to exercise their Second Amendment rights, rather than mandating it before a purchase, mandate it as part of the school curriculum so that everyone gets it that way, and it’s not a barrier to buying a firearm lawfully.
Most of the states that want mandatory training, though, aren’t exactly the kind of states that will embrace gun training of any kind in public schools.
But some other states looked at it rather differently.
Now, three require it.
This school year, students in elementary, middle and high schools in some states will get a new lesson on safety: what to do if they find a firearm.
Arkansas, Tennessee and Utah are the first states to enact laws that require public schools to teach children as young as 5 the basics of gun safety and how to properly store guns in the home. Only Utah’s law allows students to opt out of the lesson if requested by parents or guardians.
A similar law in Arizona was vetoed by the Democratic governor, and lawmakers in at least five other states have introduced such proposals, putting schools at the forefront of yet another debate about gun violence.
In Tennessee, lesson plans could include stickers, games, quizzes, or videos with music and colorful firearm illustrations, including a gun made out of Lego-style bricks and an explanation of what a muzzleloader is.
The reality is that many children in the U.S. grow up around firearms.
At Berclair Elementary School in Memphis, a class of 16 fifth graders were asked how many had seen a real gun. Nearly all raised their hands.
“It just shows you how much a class like this is needed,” said Tammie Chapman, a health and physical education instructor, who has been leading the lessons at this school.
“While there is some controversy around guns, there doesn’t always have to be,” said Emily Buck, director of public relations for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, which created a curriculum with the state Department of Education. “I think that having some education and foundational knowledge really can be beneficial in the long run.”
Those states where it won’t pass, though? Those are the stupid states. Yes, Arizona is a prime example of this, what with vetoing the measure.
Yes, the ideal world is that children will never encounter a firearm without strict adult supervision. However, I’ve seen too many news reports over the years showing just how much that isn’t the case. First, we have the case of irresponsible parents. Like it or not, that’s a fact of life you’re never going to mandate out of existence.
Then we have criminals who dump guns wherever they can without a care in the world about who might find them. They’re just worried about going back to prison on a weapons charge. Former career criminal J.D. Delay talked about that recently, and while I didn’t focus on it at the time, it’s something we should at least acknowledge.
So if that happens, what does a kid who has never been taught about guns at home do? Potentially something stupid.
And that doesn’t count the lawful gun owners who have a lapse in judgment at the worst possible time and leave their gun behind somewhere a child might find it. I know of a couple of stories like that in the past, so there are probably many others I have never heard.
Giving children gun safety training in school is just smart. The idea that guns should be out of sight, out of mind, for children is incredibly stupid and dangerous, not because parents can’t be trusted as a general rule, but because there are so many ways a child might come across a firearm, and it’s just common sense to make sure they know what they should do when something like that happens.
Three states have mandated this in schools. That leaves 47 states that need to step up and do the same.
Editor’s Note: After more than 40 days of screwing Americans, a few Dems have finally caved. The Schumer Shutdown was never about principle—just inflicting pain for political points.
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