Some states are requiring gun safety lessons in schools that teach kids 'stop, don't touch'

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- This schoolhouse year, students successful elementary, mediate and precocious schools successful immoderate states volition get a caller acquisition connected safety: what to bash if they find a firearm.

Arkansas, Tennessee and Utah are the archetypal states to enact laws that necessitate nationalist schools to thatch children arsenic young arsenic 5 the basics of weapon information and however to decently store guns successful the home. Only Utah's instrumentality allows students to opt retired of the acquisition if requested by parents oregon guardians.

A akin instrumentality successful Arizona was vetoed by the Democratic governor, and lawmakers successful astatine slightest 5 different states person introduced specified proposals, putting schools astatine the forefront of yet different statement astir gun violence.

In Tennessee, acquisition plans could see stickers, games, quizzes, oregon videos with euphony and colorful firearm illustrations, including a weapon made retired of Lego-style bricks and an mentation of what a muzzleloader is.

The world is that galore children successful the U.S. turn up astir firearms.

At Berclair Elementary School successful Memphis, a people of 16 5th graders were asked however galore had seen a existent gun. Nearly each raised their hands.

“It conscionable shows you however overmuch a people similar this is needed,” said Tammie Chapman, a wellness and carnal acquisition instructor, who has been starring the lessons astatine this school.

“While determination is immoderate contention astir guns, determination doesn’t ever person to be,” said Emily Buck, manager of nationalist relations for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, which created a program with the authorities Department of Education. “I deliberation that having immoderate acquisition and foundational cognition truly tin beryllium beneficial successful the agelong run.”

The lessons are often adapted from hunting information courses already administered by authorities hunting and wildlife agencies, but with cardinal differences.

Hunter information courses typically impact hands-on acquisition and explanations of however to safely grip and occurrence a gun. These schoolroom lessons, connected the different hand, stress that children should not interaction a firearm.

In Tennessee, the authorities prohibits immoderate usage of existent firearms, but successful Arkansas, the instrumentality allows parents to opt into alternate curriculums, specified arsenic an off-campus firearm information people that could see unrecorded guns.

The main takeaway is simply a bid of steps for erstwhile a kid finds a gun: Stop, don't touch, permission quickly, archer an adult. This is accordant with instructions created by different organizations, including 1 from the National Rifle Association that features animated characters, videos and coloring pages.

At Berclair Elementary School, the module designed a relay-race crippled to support students engaged. In the gym, students took turns moving to buckets that had antithetic photos. Students who recovered a representation of a weapon past reported it to 1 of the adults. They besides listened to a catchy jingle emphasizing the steps.

Buck acknowledged that adults mightiness beryllium the ones liable for creating unsafe situations astatine location and said children should beryllium prepared if they find guns successful antithetic spots, similar connected shelves oregon nether a mattress.

“We anticipation that possibly students volition instrumentality immoderate of what they learned backmost to their house, backmost to the parents and possibly they’ll promote their parents to set their retention method,” said Buck.

Gun authorities is simply a partisan issue crossed the U.S., with Democratic-led states enacting much limits connected entree to guns and efforts to tighten weapon laws often failing successful Republican-controlled legislatures.

Republicans sponsored and supported the acquisition bills successful Arkansas, Tennessee and Utah. The authorities says the program indispensable person neutral viewpoints connected immoderate gun-related topics, specified arsenic weapon ownership successful general.

Voices for a Safer Tennessee, a nonpartisan nonprofit created by parents aft The Covenant School shooting successful Nashville, supported the legislation. The enactment supports gun ownership and advocates for policies similar expanded background checks.

These lessons whitethorn promote families to commencement indispensable conversations, said Jessica Jaglois, manager of communications for the organization.

“It could perchance forestall a firearm calamity from occurring, due to the fact that we cognize that a infinitesimal of entree tin pb to a beingness of tragedy,” said Jaglois.

In 2022, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recovered that firearms were the starring origin of decease among children and teens. Arkansas and Tennessee person rates of firearm deaths among children and teens that transcend the nationalist average, according to an AP analysis. But immoderate Democrats and weapon power advocates reason this benignant of authorities is the incorrect attack to weapon violence.

“Using the schoolhouse time to thatch kids astir guns won’t halt adults from leaving their firearms unsecured oregon keeping deadly weapons retired of unsafe hands,” said Meg Beauregard, argumentation counsel chap astatine Everytown for Gun Safety, successful a statement. “If lawmakers were superior astir protecting students, they’d walk laws that clasp adults accountable, specified arsenic unafraid retention — not enactment the load connected kids to support themselves safe.”

The states gave schoolhouse districts immoderate discretion connected whether to usage provided acquisition plans oregon spell with different instructions that adhere to the laws' language. The schools besides tin determine which module oregon unit volition pb the lessons, oregon successful immoderate instances bring successful constabulary officers to speech astir weapon safety.

In Arkansas, schools mightiness take to incorporated the lessons arsenic a portion of yearly information training, specified arsenic erstwhile they are practicing occurrence information oregon tornado drills, said Spencer Griffith, a lawman manager with Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

“We anticipation they volition interject this successful a mode that benignant of helps to possibly forestall immoderate of these accidents from occurring, but not successful a mode that puts a governmental absorption oregon fearfulness astir that, due to the fact that it’s conscionable not the spot for that,” said Griffith.

Berclair Principal Clint Davis said the contented of children getting wounded successful firearm accidents is not new, adjacent if this program is.

“It’s not thing that’s needfully conscionable go a modern issue. It’s ever been there,” said Davis. “And I deliberation we’re conscionable present truly responding to the request to supply that benignant of grooming successful school.”

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Sainz reported from Memphis. Associated Press writer Jonathan Mattise successful Nashville and Associated Press information writer Kasturi Pananjady successful Philadelphia contributed to this report.