Arizona gun safety bill for schools sparks heated debate at State Capitol

PHOENIX - We're learning more about a bill at the Arizona Capitol aiming to bring lessons about gun safety to classrooms.

Those in favor of the bill say these teachings would be similar to the "stop, drop and roll" fire safety methods taught in classes for decades, with no guns or ammo present for the lessons. But some say instruction isn't enough to prevent gun violence tragedies.

The backstory:

Arizona school kids may soon add firearm safety to their K-12 education. That's the hope of Sen. Wendy Rogers and other advocates touting Senate Bill 1424, legislation requiring annual age-appropriate gun safety lessons in all district and charter schools.

What they're saying:

"This really isn't firearms training, it's firearms leave it alone," said Rogers, R-Flagstaff. "They are taught not to touch it, they are told to leave the area and to tell a trusted adult. This is a 1, 2, 3 memory item."

The other side:

However, not everyone is convinced. Bruce Petillo, whose son Christian was killed by an unsecured gun at a sleepover in 2021, says this legislation misdirects responsibility, comparing it to pool safety.

"Kids are kids, they don't always make the best decisions, right?" Petillo said. "We tell kids don't go by a pool where there isn't an adult present. But we still require that pool fences, locks on gates, locks on doors take place, right?"

Some studies on the efficacy of gun safety programs, including two conducted in 2002 and 2018, suggest they are not effective in real-world situations.

The other side:

"Kids are kids, they don't always make the best decisions, right?" Petillo said. "You're actually shifting the onus of responsibility away from the gun owner and putting it on the kids. When the reality is, if you own a gun, you should be the one responsible for it."

Petillo and his wife, Claire, have been working on safe storage legislation for years. They believe the classroom lessons will not lead to fewer tragedies like the one they live with daily.

Epic Policy Group, in a policy support memorandum, acknowledged this data, saying children don't consistently apply the rules they learned. However, the group argued that this finding only establishes a need for repetition along with contextual and behavioral reinforcement. The memorandum then references where watching a gun safety video did result in more real-life hesitation than watching a car safety video.

Petillo and his wife, Claire, want to see safe storage laws in place in Arizona instead, arguing that education is not enough.

"In our situation, the boy who brought the gun out the night Christian died had been 'trained,' yet he still brought a loaded gun out during a sleepover," Petillo said. "For whatever reason, gun owners do not want to be required to store their weapons and keep them out of the reach of children, and we continue as a society to see the consequences of that, as guns are the leading cause of death for children in America."

Petillo says his message to parents is not to be afraid to ask other parents about the status of guns in their home if your kids are going to play or stay over.

What's next:

The bill still needs to pass through a full House vote before it can head to Gov. Katie Hobbs' desk.

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