Utah Adds Gun Safety Classes to School Curriculum
Utah's HB0104 mandates gun safety instruction in schools. Learn about the bill's details, parental opt-out, and the debate surrounding the new policy.
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A bill that would add gun safety classes to school curriculums passed the Utah House last week, cruising through at 59-10.
HB0104 mandates that schools offer firearm safety instruction focusing on safe handling and proper storage of guns.
Firearm safety instruction would be developed and overseen by the State Board of Education. The bill calls for any instruction to be age-appropriate based on grade level and available for kindergarten through sixth grade,
As it stands, schools would be required to host firearm safety classes at least three times at the elementary level, twice in middle school, and once in high school. Instructors leading the courses would have flexibility in how they present the course – online, in person, etc. – but all classes must be politically neutral.
The classes are not mandatory for students. Parents can opt their children out of the instruction, and the school will provide alternative activities for those students.
Bill sponsor Rep. Rex. P Shipp (R) said that the bill aims to make it easier for guns to learn about safe gun practices that could keep them and others safe.
“And even if kids may not have firearms in their own home, they’re going to go to a friend’s house and (maybe) they’re going to come in contact (with a gun),” Shipp told Desert News. “This is about safety — It’s politically neutral. It’s not anti-gun. It’s not pro-gun.”
But opponents say kids should not be the ones policing guns.
“Let’s pass bills that require adults to act responsibly — not ones that require children to act responsibly and permit adult gun owners to act irresponsibly,” Nika Alder, a board member of the Gun Violence Prevention Center of Utah, said during public comment.
Shipp agreed with Alder that adults should advocate for firearms safety but offered that if a few firearm safety courses prevented at least one accident, “I think it’s well worth it.”
Should firearms safety be integrated into school curriculums? Let us know what you think in the comments below. For more on what’s happening in the gun world, check out our News page.