In this Secured clip, Dr. Jared L. Ross, Assistant Professor at the University of Missouri, weighs in on Tennessee’s new policy mandating firearm safety education in K–12 schools.

Ross calls the policy a positive step toward ensuring that students gain a foundational understanding of firearm safety. The legislation includes age-appropriate instruction — teaching younger students not to touch unattended firearms and guiding older students on safe storage practices.

However, he argues the policy does not go far enough.

According to Ross, the absence of a hands-on training component limits its effectiveness. He also notes that the curriculum omits core principles such as the four universal rules of firearm safety — widely recognized standards in safe handling.

With an estimated 400 to 500 million firearms in the United States, Ross contends that basic firearm literacy should be considered a practical safety issue rather than a political one. In his view, understanding firearm safety is comparable to learning driver’s education or financial literacy — a foundational life skill in today’s environment.

He also points out that implementing more comprehensive training would not necessarily overburden schools, as local law enforcement, school resource officers, and established organizations already have the capacity to support structured safety education.