NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — This school year, students at elementary, middle and high schools in some states are getting a recent lesson on safety: What to do if they find a gun.
Arkansas, Tennessee and Utah are the first states to pass laws requiring public schools to teach children ages five and older the basics of gun safety and how to properly store guns at home. Only Utah law allows students to withdraw from classes at the request of their parent or guardian.
A similar law in Arizona was rejected by the Democratic governor, and lawmakers in at least five other states have introduced such proposals, putting schools at the center of another debate over gun violence.
In Tennessee, lesson plans could include stickers, games, quizzes or videos with music and colorful firearm illustrations, including a weapon made from Lego bricks and an explanation of what a muzzleloader is.
The reality is that many children in the United States are growing up with guns.
At Berclair Elementary School in Memphis, a class of 16 fifth-graders were asked how many had seen a real gun. Almost everyone raised their hands.
“It just shows you how much a course like this is needed,” said Tammie Chapman, a health and physical education teacher who has taught classes at the school.
“While there is some controversy surrounding guns, that doesn’t always have to be the case,” said Emily Buck, public information director for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, which co-created a curriculum with the state Department of Education. “I think that some training and basic knowledge can really be beneficial in the long run.”
Stop, don’t touch, walk quickly, tell an adult
The lessons are often based on hunting safety courses already taught by state game and wildlife departments, but have key differences.
Hunter safety courses typically include practical instructions and explanations on how to safely handle and fire a weapon. These lessons, however, emphasize that children should not touch a firearm.
In Tennessee, the law prohibits all utilize of real firearms, but in Arkansas the law allows parents to opt for alternative curricula, such as an off-campus firearms safety course that could include live weapons.
The key takeaway is a series of steps to take if a child finds a gun: Stop, don’t touch, leave quickly, tell an adult. This is in line with instructions from other organizations, including one from the National Rifle Association, which includes animated characters, videos and coloring pages.
At Berclair Elementary School, faculty developed a relay race game to motivate students. In the gym, students took turns running to buckets with different photos. Students who found a picture of a gun would then report it to one of the adults. They also heard a catchy jingle that emphasized the footsteps.
Buck acknowledged that adults may be responsible for creating unsafe situations at home and said children should be prepared if they find guns in unusual places, such as on shelves or under a mattress.
“We’re hoping that students might take some of what they learned home, back to parents, and maybe encourage their parents to adjust their retention method,” Buck said.
The lessons should be neutral
Gun control legislation is a partisan issue across the United States. Democratic-led states are enacting stricter restrictions on gun access, and efforts to tighten gun laws often fail in Republican-controlled legislatures.
Republicans sponsored and supported education bills in Arkansas, Tennessee and Utah. The legislation requires the curriculum to contain neutral viewpoints on all gun-related topics, such as gun ownership in general.
Voices for a Safer Tennessee, a nonpartisan nonprofit founded by parents after the shooting at Covenant School in Nashville, supported the legislation. The organization supports gun ownership and advocates for policies such as expanded background checks.
These lessons could encourage families to begin necessary conversations, said Jessica Jaglois, the organization’s communications director.
“It could potentially prevent a firearm tragedy from occurring, because we know that one moment of access can lead to a lifelong tragedy,” Jaglois said.
In 2022, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that firearms were the leading cause of death among children and adolescents. The rate of gun deaths among children and teens in Arkansas and Tennessee is higher than the national average, according to an AP analysis. But some Democrats and gun control advocates argue that this type of legislation is the wrong approach to combating gun violence.
“Using the school day to teach children about guns will not deter adults from leaving their firearms unsecured or keeping deadly weapons out of dangerous hands,” Meg Beauregard, policy advisor at Everytown for Gun Safety, said in a statement. “If lawmakers were serious about protecting students, they would pass laws that hold adults accountable, like safe storage — and not put the burden on children to protect themselves.”
How will schools teach lessons?
States gave school districts some discretion as to whether they should utilize provided lesson plans or follow other instructions that adhere to the letter of the law. Schools can also decide which faculty or staff will lead classes or, in some cases, bring in police officers to discuss gun safety.
In Arkansas, schools may choose to incorporate the lessons into annual safety training, such as when they practice fire or tornado drills, said Spencer Griffith, deputy director of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
“We’re hoping that they bring this in in a way that helps prevent maybe some of these accidents, but not in a way that puts a political focus or fear on it, because it’s just not the place for that,” Griffith said.
Berclair Principal Clint Davis said the problem of children being injured in gun accidents is not recent, even though this curriculum is.
“It’s not necessarily something that just became a modern issue. It’s always been there,” Davis said. “And I think we’re just now really responding to the need to provide this type of education in schools.”
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Sainz reported from Memphis. Associated Press writer Jonathan Mattise in Nashville and Associated Press data reporter Kasturi Pananjady in Philadelphia contributed to this report.
