A New Hope: A Revamp of Virginia’s Firearm Safety Education  

By: Kobe Mora


Delegate Ben Spencer stated that “265 children died from gun accidents in 2015” after he successfully passed Bill No. 60 unanimously in the House Education Committee. The bill entailed an instructional course for elementary schoolers in grades K-4 which included a bi-weekly 1-hour course based on the NRA’s Eddie Eagle gun safety course. However, for most delegates it wasn’t enough as safety education wasn’t continued past elementary school. Delegate Ronny Malone said “I like the bill and the elementary curriculum but it needs to be more sophisticated for high schoolers” agreeing with most delegates in the room.  Even as the bill was passed, there was already talk of a huge floor amendment planned for Friday’s committee.

            “I think the bill is good, but it can be extreme in cases” said Lobbyist Brooke Tanner who is among the group proposing the amendment. The lobbyist along with many others voiced their concern about the classes frequency and length. She also implied that the originally all volunteer class could be state funded if certain changes were made.


While some believed the bill was controversial with mixing guns and public education, most delegates seemed to agree with the bill’s attempt to teach kids about the danger of guns rather than never expose them. Delegate Sydney McMahon stated: “there is no harm in educating children in firearm safety and keeping them safe”. Delegate Alex Wheeler, in support of the bill mentioned that “it is very important to teach kids about gun safety”. Firearms are tools but like any tool, you don’t want your child to play with it. This bill is a noble effort to educate kids about the dangers of firearms rather than let accidental discoveries that claim the lives of children each year.

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