Beyond the classroom basics: gun safety becomes part of Tennessee schools

Tennessee kindergartners are starting school with lessons on more than letters, numbers and shapes. This year, they will also be taught firearm safety. The instruction is required for all grade levels under a 2024 law passed by the Tennessee General Assembly.

State law and gun culture

The law directs the state’s education and safety departments, working with the fish and wildlife commission, to decide the earliest grade for instruction based on data about when children are most at risk of firearm-related injuries.

Tennessee law allows adults 21 and older to carry handguns openly or concealed without a permit, and firearms are generally banned on school grounds except for law enforcement or authorized school officials. The state also has a “stand your ground” law that removes the duty to retreat before using deadly force in self-defense.

Culturally, guns are widely owned in Tennessee and are often tied to hunting, sport and personal protection. Based on state statistics, Tennessee has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the country, reflecting a strong tradition of individual rights and self-defense and its legislature typically favors expanding access to firearms over stricter regulation.

How schools are implementing lessons

Across the state, many school websites have added a tab for parents and students explaining the new policy, with links showing how firearm safety will be taught.

Starting in the 2025-26 school year, all public schools and charter schools must provide yearly lessons through 12th grade. Students will learn how to safely store firearms, what to do if they find one and the importance of telling an adult immediately. The lessons must remain neutral on political topics and will not involve live firearms or ammunition.

According to the Tennessee state government, each lesson is tailored to the students’ grade level and age, with schools and districts integrating the material. All lessons follow similar safety guidelines: stop, don’t touch, leave the area and tell an adult.

Unclear guidance

The Washington Post reports, state educators say that beyond the guidelines provided by Tennessee agencies, there is little clarity on the rules or how compliance will be monitored. Parents or guardians are not able to opt out of the curriculum either, causing frustration for school officials. 

Rep. Jason Powell highlighted the absence of an opt-out provision for parents during debate over the law, noting that some students may face trauma if they have previously experienced school shootings.

Child fatalities and school shootings in Tennessee

In 2023, the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury was tasked with investigating school shootings across the state at elementary, middle and high schools by lawmakers. Using national and local data from 1998 to 2023, the agency identified 63 incidents in which a gun was fired or brandished on school property, or a bullet struck school property, regardless of whether anyone was injured.

In 2024, the Tennessee Department of Health released a report examining deaths of children aged 17 and younger in 2022. Of 952 child deaths that year, 855 met the criteria for review. Firearms were the leading non-medical cause, with 4.8 deaths per 100,000 children. Between 2018 and 2022, the rate of homicide among children rose 16%, and review teams determined that all of these deaths were preventable.

A Johns Hopkins report shows gun deaths continue to rise in the U.S., with children among the most affected. In 2022, firearms killed 48,204 people, including a record 27,000 suicides. Among kids ages 1 to 17, gun deaths have more than doubled since 2013 and have been the leading cause of death since 2020. Black children and teens face the highest risk, with rates far exceeding those of white youth, and recent years have seen sharp increases in both homicides and suicides.

Recent incidents and ongoing debate

So far in 2025, there has been one shooting at a Tennessee high school, killing one and injuring two other students. Outside Tennessee, a school shooting in Minneapolis that killed two and injured dozens has renewed national debate over gun safety and calls for stronger gun laws.

Other states, like Arkansas and Utah, are taking a similar approach, making sure kids get lessons in how to stay safe around guns from an early age.

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