Tennessee Becomes First US State to Mandate Gun Safety Classes for Children as Young as Five

Tennessee has become the first state in the US to enact a law requiring public school students, from kindergarten through high school, to take annual gun safety classes. The law, passed by the Republican-run state legislature in 2024, takes effect with the new academic year.

The state’s education department has released guidelines outlining what students must learn. For children aged five to eight, this includes being able to “tell a fake gun from a real one,” “demonstrate a responsible attitude regarding firearms,” and identify parts of a gun like the trigger and barrel.

The guidelines specify that educators must not use “live ammunition, live fire, or live firearms” and should remain “viewpoint neutral on political topics.” Schools are permitted to bring in police or public health experts to help teach the course. However, the state has not provided specifics on how to teach the material or how long the course should last.

Advocates for the measure frame it as a response to the tragically common school shootings in the United States, a country where there are more guns than people. Since Tennessee passed its law, Utah and Arkansas have followed suit with similar legislation.

The mandate comes as guns remain the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the United States, according to public health officials. The issue was highlighted just last week when a heavily armed attacker killed two children and wounded 14 others at a church and school in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The United States has the highest gun violence fatality rate of any developed country.