NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A bill that requires schools across the state to teach students about how to safely store guns, avoid injuries if they find a gun and other lessons about gun safety passed the Tennessee House of Representatives in February and passed the Tennessee Senate on April 4.
It is now headed to Governor Bill Lee's desk.
HB 2882 was introduced by Rep. Chris Todd (R - Madison County). As introduced, the bill would require the state Department of Education and Safety to work with the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission to decide the earliest grade when students could start learning about gun safety. The bill required leaders to consider data about the earliest ages when children are injured by guns.
After that decision is made, the bill requires public schools and public charter schools to start teaching kids about gun safety in the 2025-2026 school year. The departments and commission would also need develop or approve a curriculum about firearm safety. No materials or programs could be approved if they "bear a brand or organizational affiliation."
Lessons can be in a classroom by watching a video, or students can review online materials. Materials would also need to be "viewpoint neutral" on topics like gun rights and gun violence. It also bars lessons from including live ammunition or live guns, but does not specifically exclude non-functional ammunition or non-functional guns.
"The instruction must begin with the earliest appropriate grade, as determined by the departments under subsection (a), and must continue in each subsequent grade through grade twelve," the bill said.
It also lists required lessons for students. Those lessons are listed below.
- Safe storage of firearms
- School safety relating to firearms
- How to avoid injury if the students finds a firearm
- To never touch a found firearm
- To immediately notify an adult of the location of a found firearm
On the House floor, Rep. Jason Powell (D - Nashville) said he wanted to include an amendment allowing parents to opt children out of lessons involving guns.
"My concern is to allow for parents who don't want to have their kids subjected to this training, to opt out. And that's all my amendment simply does, is allow for when a parent or guardian feels like this is not going to be in the best interest of the child, for them to opt out," he said.
He described a situation when he left his phone on his desk, and had missed calls and texts. He said they were from his terrified daughter describing a lockdown at school.
"'I'm scared. I love you so much,'" he said said about the texts. "But for far too many children in our state, who have been permanently traumatized by gun violence, subjecting them to this education has the possibility of retraumatizing them. And that's why I think it's best to give parents the option to opt out. This is a lot different from something like a fire drill, this deals with much different subject matter."
Rep. John Ragan (R - Oak Ridge) responded by emphasizing the bill was about teaching gun safety, and compared it to tornado drills and safely crossing the street. He said the amendment would have hindered the purpose of the bill.
"It is purely and simply a measure to put safety in terms of what a child can understand, it's age-appropriate education," he said. "There is no reason to have anyone opt out of that."
The proposed amendment was voted down in the House, 69-22. Lawmakers then began discussing parental choice in schools in relation to the bill.
Rep. Justin Pearson (D - Memphis) also proposed four amendments, one of which would have specifically excluded the National Rifle Association from being used to create gun safety lessons. He said the NRA is specifically not "viewpoint neutral." Another would have allowed parents to opt out children for any reason, similar to Rep. Powell's amendment.
None of his amendments were considered.
"The reality of gun violence in our communities is not going away if this legislature refuses to act, but the trauma lives with our children and in our children in perpetuity," he said.
Rep. Todd said a previous proposal similar to his passed the House in previous years.
"This will be taught every year once they determine the most appropriate age to begin, and they will be taught the same safety training — just the basics. This is not the hunter safety course, by any means," he said.
Rep. Antonio Parkinson (D - Memphis) said he signed onto the bill because he believed the gun safety lessons will teach laws and guidelines surrounding guns, helping people avoid charges related to brandishing guns and avoid injuries from poor gun storage.
"Our people need gun safety classes in my communities. How many children's lives would have been saved if these gun safety classes had been made available and that child wouldn't have picked up a gun in their household or in the car and shot their brother, their sister, or their parent?" he said. "I think all of our children should be educated. I think all of our adults should be educated even more."
Rep. Todd said the lessons would not be a specific class.
The bill passed the House in a 79-12 vote. It passed the Senate, 24-2.
