AUSTIN, Texas — Two bills introduced to the Texas Legislature could allow firearm safety courses to be taught to high school students.
Two bills will be introduced to the House Committee on Youth Health and Safety on Monday, each pertaining to firearm safety. One bill would allow high schoolers in grade 12 to graduate from a fire safety course by completing the handgun proficiency course if the eligibility requirements are met. The other would focus on general firearm safety.
Both bills, House Bill 2090 and House Bill 2976, were spearheaded by State Rep. Ryan Guillen. HB 2090 has co-authors, including Reps. Christian Manuel, Ernest Bailes, Richard Peña Raymond and Briscoe Cain.
HB 2090 would allow for the creation of an elective course on community and firearm safety, as well as mental health. Only grade 12 students would be allowed to enroll in the elective course, which would focus on the following topics in the first semester:
- Family violence prevention
- Sexual assault prevention
- Self-defense tactics
- Mental health
The second semester of the course would pertain to firearm safety, which would include relevant statistics and the state and federal laws on firearm usage. The student would not be allowed to enroll in the second course without "satisfactorily" completing the first semester.
However, a student could earn full course credit if they completed the first semester with the minimum marks and met the eligibility requirements for obtaining a license to carry a handgun.
HB 2976 would focus on offering a firearm safety course to high school students. This bill does not specify a grade level requirement to offer the course to. The course's curriculum, created by the State Board of Education, would focus on:
- Accident prevention
- Promoting the safety and protection of students
- Emphasizing how students should respond when encountering a firearm
- Information found in the firearms safety portion of a hunter education course connected to Parks and Wildlife Code.
Additionally, the board would develop a virtual course to go alongside the one in schools and provide it to the agency, Parks and Wildlife Department, and Department of Public Safety. These virtual courses would be accessible to the public for free online.
If both bills are passed, the board will develop the curriculum as soon as possible to take effect for the 2024-25 school year.
As of April 3, both bills were left pending in committee.