Oregon bill would allow gun safety classes for first graders

A bill proposed in the Oregon legislature would allow public schools to offer annual firearm-safety and accident-prevention classes to first-graders.

The state Senate bill would allow for yearly 30-minute classes aught by a taught by a teacher, administrator, law enforcement officer or first responder, the Salem Statesman Journal reported Tuesday. According to the news outlet, the bill is unlikely to advance after a key committee deadline passed, but its supporters have promised to push forward with similar legislation in the future. 

The curriculum outlined in the bill would teach students the proper steps to take if they encountered an unsecured firearm, the differences between violence in real-life and violence in video games and the dangers of confusing real guns with toys.

The bill states that no real firearms or live ammunition would be used during the instructional class, the newspaper noted.

Parents and guardians would also be informed one week ahead of time so they could opt out of having their child attend the class.

Derek LeBlanc, president of the Kids S.A.F.E. Foundation who is the lead writer of the bill, said that firearm safety would be a concern whether or not Oregon residents are with owning guns.

“We talk about helmets, stranger danger, the D.A.R.E. program, water safety, anti-bullying,” he said. “There’s more that needs to be done when it comes to education with firearms.”

Firearm-related deaths are the third leading cause of death overall among US children between 1 to 17 years old and the second leading cause of injury-related death, according to the Center for Disease Control. An estimated 6 percent of those are intentional. 

The Statesman Journal noted, however, that there are only two children under 18 years old who died from unintentional firearm injury in Oregon between 2015 and 2017.

Opponents, such as the League of Women Voters, argue that a 30-minute instructional lesson on firearm safety might not dissuade a child’s curiosity of unintended firearms.

They also argue that the responsibility should be placed on adult gun owners to safely store their weapons away from children.

“The League strongly supports evidence-based solutions, holding adults accountable for the health of our children, and the wise use of education dollars,” league representatives wrote in testimony on the bill. We urge a no vote on SB 801.”

The bill was introduced with bipartisan support from one Democratic state senator and two Republican state senators and had its first public hearing late last month.