Republican Senator Jon Bumstead of North Muskegon has introduced a bill intending to educate Michigan students between the 6th and 12th grades on safe firearm handling and storage. Bumstead coordinated with the Department of Education in developing the bill and agreed that live rounds would not be brought onto school campuses during training to prevent accidents while firearms are present. The 10-hour course will be taught by certified instructors from local organizations with hunting licenses obtained through the state’s Department of Natural Resources.
“A lot of local gun clubs will have instructors that I think will be willing to come in… Also, you’ll have some educators that are instructors as well. You’ll see that more in the Northern (Michigan) schools,” says Bumstead.
According to Bumstead, the education would come at no additional cost to parents or school districts as each instructor’s organization would underwrite the training. The effort benefits everyone involved as the program provides the opportunity to introduce students to conservation and get them to spend more time outdoors while hunting license fees increase wildlife education funding.
“Over the last 30 years in Michigan, our hunting numbers have gone down… We’re just trying to get young people outdoors a little bit more, and this might have them get outside a little bit more,” said Bumstead.
Justin Heinze, the director of school safety at the University of Michigan Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention, says safe storage is vital to preventing accidents and reducing the risk of children getting hold of a loaded firearm in the home. He emphasizes the fact that children are more observant than we sometimes give them credit for, and “might have more access than parents realize.”
Detroit Democratic Senator Stephanie Chang, who is a member of the Education Committee and supports funding for mental health resources to address gun violence, says the program would benefit all Michigan residents.
“Firearm safety in general is important for people to learn regardless of where they are… There’s certainly a number of gun owners in my district and I’m married to a gun owner. Ensuring more people have more information about gun safety is important, in addition to passing laws related to common-sense gun violence prevention… Making sure that young people, if they have firearms in their homes, are aware of what the laws are and firearm safety is important,” said Chang.
Agreed. Education and experience encourage and develop a safer society as long as “passing laws related to common-sense gun violence prevention” means more thoughtful measures such as this bill, which make a real difference while respecting America’s founding values and liberties.
“People need to know gun safety practices, regardless of if they hunt or not, or whether they shoot guns or don’t shoot guns… At least they want to learn about gun safety. This is the program that can teach some of that and hopefully, it can save lives,” says Bumstead.
Aside from the bipartisan teaming up of Bumstead and Chang, the bill’s co-sponsors include Republican Senators Roger Hauck, John Damoose, Rick Outman, and Michele Hoitenga. The bill is currently awaiting consideration from the Senate Education Committee.
This measure echoes the efforts of those in Utah and Tennessee to bring safety education to schools for youth to learn important lessons on what to do if they discover an unattended firearm, how to safely handle a firearm, and instruction on secure storage to prevent tragic accidents. It is an effort worth supporting, and it is encouraging to see politicians focused on reducing gun violence through more realistic means as well as those that benefit the next generation rather than stripping them of their rights.
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