Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
This school year, elementary, middle and high school students in some states will get a new lesson on safety: what to do if they find a gun.
arkansasTennessee and Utah are the first states to enact laws that require public schools to teach children under age 5 the basics of gun safety and how to properly store guns in the home. Only Utah law allows students to opt out of lessons upon request of parents or guardians.
one such law Arizona It was vetoed by Democratic governors, and lawmakers in at least five other states have introduced similar proposals, putting schools at the forefront of yet another debate about gun violence.
In Tennessee, lesson plans may include stickers, games, quizzes or videos with music and colorful firearm illustrations, including a gun made of Lego-style bricks and an explanation of what a muzzleloader is.
The reality is that many children in America grow up around firearms.
at Berclair Elementary School memphis16 fifth grade students were asked how many had seen a real gun. Almost everyone raised their hands.
“It shows you how much a class like this is needed,” said health and physical education instructor Tammy Chapman, who is leading the lessons at the school.
“While there is some controversy surrounding guns, that doesn’t always have to be the case,” said Emily Buck, director of public relations for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Which has created a curriculum with the state education department. “I think having some education and basic knowledge can be really beneficial in the long run.”
Stop, do not touch, walk away quickly, tell an adult
Lessons are often adapted from hunting safety courses already administered by state hunting and wildlife agencies, but with significant differences.
Hunter safety courses usually include practical instruction and explanations of how to safely handle and fire a gun. On the other hand, these classroom lessons emphasize that children should not touch guns.
In Tennessee, the law bans any use of actual firearms, but in Arkansas, the law allows parents to choose alternative courses, such as off-campus firearm safety courses that may include live guns.
The main steps to take when a child finds a gun are a series of steps: stop, do not touch, get away quickly, tell an adult. It is in line with the instructions made by other organizations including an organization National Rifle Association Including animated characters, videos and coloring pages.
At Berclair Elementary School, faculty designed a relay-race game to keep students engaged. In the gym, students took turns running towards buckets that had different pictures on them. The students who found the photo of the gun reported it to one of the adults. He also heard a catchy jingle while emphasizing the steps.
Buck acknowledged that adults can be responsible for creating unsafe conditions in the home and said children should be prepared if they find guns in unusual places, such as on shelves or under the mattress.
“Our hope is that maybe students will take some of what they’ve learned back home, to their parents, and maybe they’ll encourage their parents to adjust their storage methods,” Buck said.
Lessons are considered neutral
Gun laws are a partisan issue across the US, with Democratic-led states imposing greater limits on access to guns and efforts to tighten gun laws in Republican-controlled legislatures often failing.
Republicans sponsored and supported education bills in Arkansas, Tennessee, and Utah. The law states that curriculum must take a neutral stance on any gun-related topic, such as gun ownership in general.
Voice for a Safer Tennessee, a non-partisan nonprofit created by parents after the Covenant School shooting nashvilleSupported the law. The organization supports gun ownership and advocates for policies such as expanded background checks.
These texts can encourage families to start necessary conversations, said Jessica Jaglois, the organization’s communications director.
“This could potentially prevent firearm tragedies from occurring, because we know that a single moment of access can lead to a lifetime of tragedy,” Jaglois said.
In 2022, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that firearms were the leading cause of death among children and teens. The rates of firearm deaths among children and teens in Arkansas and Tennessee are higher than the national average, according to an AP analysis. But some Democrats and gun control advocates argue that such legislation is the wrong approach to gun violence.
“Using the school day to teach kids about guns won’t stop adults from leaving their firearms unsecured or keep deadly weapons out of dangerous hands,” Meg Beauregard, policy council fellow at Everytown for Gun Safety, said in a statement. “If lawmakers were serious about student safety, they would pass laws that hold adults accountable, like safe storage — not put the burden on children to keep themselves safe.”
How will schools teach lessons?
States give school districts some discretion over whether they should use provided lesson plans or follow other instructions that follow the language of the laws. Schools may also decide which faculty or staff will lead the lesson, or in some cases call in police officers to talk about gun safety.
In Arkansas, schools may choose to include lessons as a part of annual safety training, such as when they are practicing fire safety or tornado drills, said Spencer Griffith, deputy director of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
“We hope they present it in a way that prevents some accidents from happening, but not in a way that creates political focus or fear, because that’s not the right place for that,” Griffith said.
Clint Davis, principal of Berclair, said the issue of children being injured in firearm accidents is nothing new, despite the curriculum.
“It’s not something that’s necessarily become a modern issue. It’s always been there,” Davis said. “And I think now we’re really responding to the need to provide that kind of training in school.”
,
Saenz reported from Memphis. Associated Press writer Jonathan Mattis in Nashville and Associated Press data journalist Kasturi Pananjady in Philadelphia contributed to this report.