ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Forty-seventh Legislature, First Regular Session
FACT SHEET FOR S.B. 1271
schools; Arizona gun safety program
Purpose
Allows school districts and charter schools to offer a one semester Arizona gun safety program course in rifle marksmanship. Specifies the minimum requirements for the course.
Background
Arizona law currently allows the Arizona Game and Fish Department to provide training in the safe handling and use of bows or firearms and safe hunting practices, in conjunction with common and high schools requesting the training. Game and Fish may prescribe the course of study, approve instructional materials, certify instructors for training programs conducted by private organizations or public agencies and issue certificates of course completion.
Any individual who has reached age ten is eligible for the Game and Fish voluntary training courses in the use of bows or firearms. Any courses held for students in the common schools and high schools are elective only, and attendance in such classes is not used in the computation of a school district’s student count. Game and Fish may cooperate with other agencies and private organizations to carry out these training programs.
School districts and charter schools implementing the gun safety program may realize a negative fiscal impact associated with student transportation costs and shooting range fees.
Provisions
1. Allows each school district and charter school to offer a one semester elective course in rifle marksmanship designated as the Arizona gun safety program course in addition to the voluntary training in the use of bows and firearms prescribed currently allowed under state law.
2. Requires a student to be deemed to have satisfactorily completed the Arizona gun safety program course by demonstrating the ability to safely discharge a .22 caliber rifle at a paper target.
3. Requires the gun safety program course of instruction to be jointly developed by the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, the Department of Public Safety and private firearms organizations and allows for the inclusion of materials provided by private youth organizations.
4. Requires the Arizona gun safety program to include, at a minimum, the following components:
a) instruction on the rules of gun safety.
b) instruction on the basic operation of firearms.
c) instruction on the history of firearms and marksmanship.
d) instruction on the role of firearms in preserving peace and freedom.
e) instruction on the constitutional roots of the right to keep and bear arms.
f) practice time at a shooting range.
g) demonstration of competence with a .22 caliber rifle.
5. Requires school districts and charter schools to arrange for adequate use of shooting range time by students in the Arizona gun safety program course at any shooting range that was built in whole or in part with federal funding.
6. Requires students who satisfactorily complete the Arizona gun safety program course to receive a certificate of accomplishment.
7. Specifies that no provision regarding the Arizona gun safety program is to be construed to limit or expand the liability of any person under other provisions of law.
8. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
January 31, 2005
Forty-seventh Legislature, First Regular Session
FACT SHEET FOR S.B. 1271
schools; Arizona gun safety program
Purpose
Allows school districts and charter schools to offer a one semester Arizona gun safety program course in rifle marksmanship. Specifies the minimum requirements for the course.
Background
Arizona law currently allows the Arizona Game and Fish Department to provide training in the safe handling and use of bows or firearms and safe hunting practices, in conjunction with common and high schools requesting the training. Game and Fish may prescribe the course of study, approve instructional materials, certify instructors for training programs conducted by private organizations or public agencies and issue certificates of course completion.
Any individual who has reached age ten is eligible for the Game and Fish voluntary training courses in the use of bows or firearms. Any courses held for students in the common schools and high schools are elective only, and attendance in such classes is not used in the computation of a school district’s student count. Game and Fish may cooperate with other agencies and private organizations to carry out these training programs.
School districts and charter schools implementing the gun safety program may realize a negative fiscal impact associated with student transportation costs and shooting range fees.
Provisions
1. Allows each school district and charter school to offer a one semester elective course in rifle marksmanship designated as the Arizona gun safety program course in addition to the voluntary training in the use of bows and firearms prescribed currently allowed under state law.
2. Requires a student to be deemed to have satisfactorily completed the Arizona gun safety program course by demonstrating the ability to safely discharge a .22 caliber rifle at a paper target.
3. Requires the gun safety program course of instruction to be jointly developed by the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, the Department of Public Safety and private firearms organizations and allows for the inclusion of materials provided by private youth organizations.
4. Requires the Arizona gun safety program to include, at a minimum, the following components:
a) instruction on the rules of gun safety.
b) instruction on the basic operation of firearms.
c) instruction on the history of firearms and marksmanship.
d) instruction on the role of firearms in preserving peace and freedom.
e) instruction on the constitutional roots of the right to keep and bear arms.
f) practice time at a shooting range.
g) demonstration of competence with a .22 caliber rifle.
5. Requires school districts and charter schools to arrange for adequate use of shooting range time by students in the Arizona gun safety program course at any shooting range that was built in whole or in part with federal funding.
6. Requires students who satisfactorily complete the Arizona gun safety program course to receive a certificate of accomplishment.
7. Specifies that no provision regarding the Arizona gun safety program is to be construed to limit or expand the liability of any person under other provisions of law.
8. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
January 31, 2005
