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Committee approves bill requiring annual firearm‑safety instruction in schools; opt‑out provision retained
Summary
The committee adopted Substitute 3 to HB 104 requiring annual, age‑appropriate firearms‑safety instruction K–6 and additional instruction in later grades, with an opt‑out for parents and rulemaking by the state board; the measure passed the committee by roll call (9–2).
The House Education Standing Committee voted to adopt Substitute 3 and approve amendments to HB 104, "Firearm Safety in Schools,” sending the bill to the House with a favorable recommendation after a roll‑call vote of 9‑2.
Sponsor Representative John Shipp amended earlier drafts to narrow the mandate and include age‑appropriate materials and an opt‑out. Shipp showed a video produced by the Utah Attorney General’s Office demonstrating a simple teaching module for older students and said shorter, grade‑appropriate videos (including an Ohio State one‑minute clip for K–5) could be used in elementary grades. “All you have to remember is, let's stay safe: leave it alone, educate those around you, tell an adult, share threats,” the attorney general’s video advised.
Community supporters, including gun‑safety nonprofits, parents and students, told the committee they favor a short, repeated annual lesson. “Being safe around guns isn't rocket science… Leave it alone. Educate others. Tell an adult,” one video narrator said; student testimony and multiple public commenters urged mandatory, short annual instruction because accidental shootings involve very young children in some cases.
Opponents and some district representatives raised practical and curricular questions. The Utah School Boards Association asked for data from the AG’s pilot about district uptake, and raised concerns about lost instructional time and logistics when students opt out. Several lawmakers and members of the public suggested offering evening, opt‑in family sessions as a complement to in‑school lessons.
Substitute 3 requires the State Board of Education to adopt minimum standards and allows LEAs to use supplied videos or other approved materials; the substitute keeps an opt‑out mechanism and requires LEAs to provide an alternate assignment or placement for students whose parents opt them out. The committee adopted Amendment 1 to the substitute and considered Amendment 2 (a narrower alternative) before voting on the final package.
A roll call on the final committee recommendation recorded nine votes in favor and two opposed; the committee chair directed sponsors and USBE staff to continue stakeholder conversations about curriculum, frequency and opt‑out logistics before the bill proceeds to the House floor.
