Sponsored by:

Assemblyman EDWARD H. THOMSON

District 30 (Monmouth and Ocean)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblyman Space

SYNOPSIS

Requires school district that includes grades kindergarten through six to offer Eddie Eagle Gunsafe Program.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

An Act concerning gun safety instruction for certain students and supplementing chapter 35 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. The Legislature finds and declares that:

a. The National Rifle Association created the Eddie Eagle Gunsafe Program in 1988 to promote the protection and safety of children;

b. The Eddie Eagle Gunsafe Program does not make value judgements as to whether guns are good or bad, but rather promotes the safety of children by teaching elementary school students how to respond if they encounter a firearm;

c. Under the Eddie Eagle Gunsafe Program, students are taught that, if they encounter a fiream, they should follow four simple rules: (1) Stop; (2) Don't Touch; (3) Leave the Area; and (4) Tell an Adult; and

d. Real firearms are never used in the instruction, and the program is endorsed by law enforcement agencies across the United States as an effective method for providing elementary school students with gun safety education.

2. A school district that includes grades kindergarten through six shall implement the Eddie Eagle Gunsafe Program. The purpose of the educational program shall be to promote the safety and protection of children. The educational program shall emphasize how students should respond if they encounter a firearm. School personnel and program instructors shall not make value judgments about firearms.

A school district shall not use or include a firearm or demonstrate the use of a firearm when teaching the program.

3. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill requires a school district that includes grades kindergarten through six to implement the Eddie Eagle Gunsafe Program. The purpose of the educational program is to promote the safety and protection of children and to emphasize how students should respond if they encounter a firearm. A school district may not use or include a firearm or demonstrate the use of a firearm when teaching the program.

The National Rifle Association created the Eddie Eagle Gunsafe Program in 1988 to promote the protection and safety of children. The program does not make value judgements as to whether guns are good or bad, but rather promotes the safety of children by teaching elementary school students how to respond if they encounter a firearm. Under the program, students are taught that, if they encounter a fiream, they should follow four simple rules: (1) Stop; (2) Don't Touch; (3) Leave the Area; and (4) Tell an Adult.