Tennessee, Arkansas now require schools to teach kids about firearms

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.

The lessons are often adapted from hunting safety courses already administered by state hunting and wildlife agencies, but with key differences. Hunter safety courses typically involve hands-on instruction and explanations of how to safely handle and fire a gun. These classroom lessons, on the other hand, emphasize that children should not touch a firearm.

In Tennessee, the legislation prohibits any use of actual firearms, but in Arkansas, the law allows parents to opt into alternative curriculums, such as an off-campus firearm safety course that could include live guns.

The main takeaway is a series of steps for when a child finds a gun: Stop, don’t touch, leave quickly, tell an adult. This is consistent with instructions created by other organizations, including one from the National Rifle Association that features animated characters, videos and coloring pages.

“We hope that maybe students will take some of what they learned back to their house, back to the parents and maybe they’ll encourage their parents to adjust their storage method,” said Buck.

Voices for a Safer Tennessee, a nonpartisan nonprofit created by parents after The Covenant School shooting in Nashville, supported the legislation. The organization supports gun ownership and advocates for policies like expanded background checks.

These lessons may encourage families to start necessary conversations, said Jessica Jaglois, director of communications for the organization.

In 2022, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that firearms were the leading cause of death among children and teens. Arkansas and Tennessee have rates of firearm deaths among children and teens that exceed the national average.

In Arkansas, schools might choose to incorporate the lessons as a part of annual safety training, such as when they are practicing fire safety or tornado drills, said Spencer Griffith, a deputy director with Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

“We hope they will interject this in a way that kind of helps to maybe prevent some of these accidents from occurring, but not in a way that puts a political focus or fear around that, because it’s just not the place for that,” said Griffith.

Berclair Principal Clint Davis said the issue of children getting hurt in firearm accidents is not new, even if this curriculum is.

“It’s not something that’s necessarily just become a modern issue. It’s always been there,” said Davis. “And I think we’re just now really responding to the need to provide that sort of training in school.”


(AP Photo George Walker IV)