Arkansas to Require Gun Safety Classes for All Public School Students

Last week, the Arkansas State Senate approved a bill to provide firearms safety training to children according to age. The Arkansas Department of Education and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will work together to create a plan.

Act 229 (also known as House Bill 117) will mandate that public school districts, open-enrollment public charter schools, and public charters provide annual instruction on gun safety to students.

The bill’s sponsors say the idea came from conversations among neighbors.

All of our kids play together, and they invade whichever home is the theme of the moment. In the process of playing, children may enter a neighbor’s house and find an unsecured gun. How would they respond?

According to the bill, the Arkansas State Game and Fish Commission will be empowered to collaborate with the Division of Primary and Secondary Education in order to develop and approve courses on age-appropriate firearm safety.

The bill mentions a variety of methods, including videos and online resources. It also suggests that a commission-approved course on firearm safety could be offered off-campus in conjunction with an actual live-fire event or sports event.

The bill states that, although these options are only being considered at the moment, if a live-fire option is chosen, parents must give their consent.

The bill states that “if an off-campus firearm safety class is offered in conjunction with live-fire exercises or sporting events, then the commission-approved course provider and the open enrollment public charter school or public school district in which the student participating is enrolled must obtain written consent from the student participating’s parents, guardians, or other persons standing in loco parentalis. It will be up to the committee to determine the grade at which students should begin the training.”

The 2025-2026 academic year will be the first to introduce instruction.