Children as young as five will begin taking mandatory gun safety classes this academic year in Tennessee, making it the first US state to introduce such a law.
The initiative follows a bill passed by the state legislature in 2024, with the law taking effect as schools resume for the new session. Under the state education department’s guidelines, pupils aged five to eight are expected to learn how to distinguish a real gun from a fake one, identify basic parts such as the trigger, barrel, and muzzle, and demonstrate a responsible attitude toward firearms.
The program will be compulsory every year from kindergarten through the end of high school. Supporters of the law say it is a proactive response to the frequent school shootings across the United States, where firearms remain the leading cause of death among children and adolescents.
Tennessee paved the way as the first state to enact such legislation, though Utah and Arkansas have since followed with similar measures. The guidelines, however, do not specify how teachers should deliver the lessons or how long the classes should last. They prohibit the use of live guns, ammunition, or live fire during instruction and require educators to remain politically neutral.
Schools are permitted to invite police officers or public health experts to assist in teaching. Advocates argue the program could save lives by equipping children with knowledge about firearm dangers, but critics have raised concerns about introducing gun-related content at such an early age.
The development comes amid another tragic incident of gun violence: just last week, a heavily armed attacker opened fire in a Catholic church attached to a school in Minneapolis, Minnesota, killing two children and injuring 17 others, including three adults. The US continues to record the highest rate of gun-related fatalities among developed nations.
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