WILSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — Lawmakers are bringing a new course to all state classrooms this year: gun safety.
Tennessee is the first state to pass a law requiring gun safety training in schools. The idea is to teach kids how to navigate guns in their homes and communities, especially in a state where firearms are prevalent.
The Department of Saftey and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency distributed educational materials and a video lesson to school districts this week covering the topic of gun safety.
"The tone at the younger level is different than it would be for our older students. So we want families to know that too," explained Wilson County Schools spokesperson Bart Barker.
He says the educational video for K-2, for example, will carefully introduce the danger of a firearm and encourage a student to avoid a gun, while high school grades will tackle responsibility and safe storage.
"Sometimes...having small children, when mom and dad can tell our kids something, it may resonate one way, but when their trusted SRO [says it], they say, 'Oh, that's an SRO.' It can sound a little bit different," he said.
This could be a very important lesson, considering Tennessee saw 158 unintentional shootings by children between 2015 and 2023. That's according to data from Everytown.
The TN Department of Health backs that up, reporting Tennessee's firearm-related deaths involving kids were much higher than the national average in recent years.
"An accident is just a moment away, and you can think of whatever that looks like. This is all about prevention," said Barker.
We saw a case as recently as June, where a toddler accidentally shot himself at his home near TSU.
Jenniffer Manhart says she doesn't mind that all three of her children will get a refresher at school this year.
"Me and my husband are both carriers, and they see them, and we just tell them it's not a toy. You don't touch it, and we keep them locked up," she said.
"With the laws here in Tennessee, it's very common that a lot of homes and families do have guns, and kids are curious," she went on. "And if they understand the severity of it, then I think there would be less bad outcomes."
The announcement of the law has also come with pushback, with some parents having reservations about introducing the concept of a gun to a young child.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at nikki.hauser@newschannel5.com.
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