A proposed bill that would require Tennessee schools to teach firearm safety to students passed the state House of Representatives last night.

House Bill 2882 proposes requiring teaching firearm safety to students starting in the 2025-2026 school year.

Schools would be required to teach safe storage of firearms, school safety relating to firearms, and how to avoid injury if the student finds a firearm. Schools will also have to teach students to never touch a found firearm and to immediately notify an adult of the location of a found firearm.

The bill points out that the instruction would not include live ammunition and should be viewpoint-neutral on political topics, such as gun rights, gun violence, and the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

If passed by the Senate and signed by Governor Bill Lee, a curriculum would be developed by the Tennessee Department of Education in consultation with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. The education department would also be in charge of determining the earliest appropriate grade level for firearm safety instruction to begin.

The firearm safety courses may be taught in a classroom setting by way of viewing a video or other online resources.