A bill

 

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 59-29-250 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SHALL ESTABLISH A FIREARM SAFETY PROGRAM, TO PROVIDE INSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS, AND TO PROVIDE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROGRAM.

 

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

 

SECTION 1.  Article 1, Chapter 29, Title 59 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

 

    Section 59-29-250. (A) The Department of Education, in consultation with the Department of Natural Resources, shall determine the earliest grade in which it is appropriate for students to begin receiving instruction on firearm safety. In determining the earliest appropriate grade for instruction on firearm safety, the agencies shall study all relevant data and risk factors, including the earliest age at which incidents of injury involving firearms are reported and the earliest age at which children are susceptible to harm from found firearms.

    (B) Beginning with the 2027-2028 School Year, the Department of Education shall establish a firearm safety program for which districts or charter schools may elect to apply. Priority for involvement in the program must be based on the counties with the highest rate of childhood injury or death from firearms. The department may limit the number of districts accepted in the program. The instruction must begin with the earliest appropriate grade, as determined by the agencies under subsection (A), and must continue in each subsequent grade through grade twelve.

    (C) The instruction required under subsection (B) must:

       (1) teach students:

           (a) safe storage of firearms;

           (b) school safety relating to firearms;

           (c) how to avoid injury if the student finds a firearm;

           (d) to never touch a found firearm; and

           (e) to immediately notify an adult of the location of a found firearm;

       (2) be viewpoint neutral on political topics, such as gun rights, gun violence, and the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution; and

       (3) not include the use or presence of live ammunition, live fire, or live firearms.

    (D) The Department of Natural Resources, in consultation with the Department of Education, shall develop a curriculum or program of instruction on firearm safety that meets the requirements of this section and that districts are required to implement for purposes of providing the instruction required under subsection (B). The agencies may not use a curriculum or program of instruction if the curriculum, program of instruction, or any of the instructional materials used as part of the curriculum or program of instruction bear a brand or organizational affiliation other than the logos of the Department of Education and the Department of Natural Resources.

    (E) The instruction required under subsection (B) may be provided in a classroom setting, through the viewing of a video, or through the review of online resources or materials, as determined by the Department of Education.

    (F) Each district accepted into the program shall determine how best to incorporate the instruction required under subsection (B) into the school year.

 

SECTION 2.  This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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