Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Gun Safety Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
House debate expands firearm-safety instruction to K–6 and creates optional 12th-grade course; final action deferred
Summary
Representative Jason E. Thompson presented a second-substitute to HB 264 to expand district-approved firearm-safety instruction (K–6 and a voluntary parental-consent 12th-grade course); the House recessed before a final vote and debate will continue when session resumes.
Representative Jason E. Thompson told the House that second substitute HB 264 would expand district-approved firearm-safety instruction for K–6 students, allow districts to adopt neutral materials and use certified volunteer instructors, and add an optional 12th-grade course that would require parental consent.
Thompson described the bill as a child-safety measure aimed at preventing accidental shootings and other tragedies. He said the K–6 change adds an explicit instruction for children to leave the area when they find a gun and that parental consent is required for the optional twelfth-grade course. Supporters provided example materials reportedly used by the curriculum group that developed teaching resources and said the proposal carries no immediate fiscal note for schools.
Members asked about local control, instructor certification, and whether the measure would impose additional burdens on teachers; the sponsor emphasized use of volunteers and approved materials so classroom teachers would not have to provide instruction. Discussion continued and the House recessed for 20 minutes before returning to floor business; no final vote on the second substitute is recorded in the transcript.
The debate raised a mix of child-safety appeals and questions about implementation, parental consent and curriculum approvals by local districts.
