Official Summary Text
SB1424 - 572R - Senate Fact Sheet
Assigned to
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PASSED BY COMMITTEE
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh
Legislature, Second Regular Session
AMENDED
FACT SHEET FOR
S.B. 1424
firearm safety
instruction; public schools
Purpose
Requires, beginning in the 2027-2028 school year, each school district
and charter school to provide annual, age-appropriate firearm safety awareness
instruction (firearm instruction) to students in kindergarten programs and each
of grades 1 through 12 as outlined. Requires the Arizona Department of
Education (ADE) to coordinate with the Department of Public Safety (DPS) and
the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) to develop firearm safety and
awareness instructional materials and make the materials available to school
districts and charter schools.
Background
The AZGFD may provide voluntary training in the safe handling and use of
bows or firearms and safe hunting practices when a common school or high school
requests the training. The AZGFD prescribes the course of study, approves
instruction materials, certifies instructors for the training programs
conducted by private organizations or public agencies and issues certificates
of completion (A.R.S. ��
15-713
and
15-714
).
In addition to the voluntary bow and firearm training, a school district
or charter school may offer a one-credit elective course in firearms
marksmanship, designated as the Arizona Gun Safety Program course (course). The
course must be developed by the AZGFD, DPS and private firearms organizations
and must include: 1) instruction on firearms safety rules, basic operation and
history; 2) instruction on the role of firearms in preserving peace and freedom
and the constitutional roots of the right to keep and bear arms; 3) instruction
on the use of clay targets; and 4) practice time at a shooting range. A pupil
must demonstrate competence with a firearm by safely discharging a firearm at
one or more targets. A person currently certified as a firearms safety instructor
by the AZGFD, the National Rifle Association, a law enforcement agency, the
U.S. military, a federal agency, the Reserve Officer Training Corps, the Junior
Reserve Officer Training Corps or the Civilian Marksmanship Program may teach
the course (
A.R.S.
� 15-714.01
).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact
to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1.
Requires each school district and charter school, beginning in the
2027-2028 school year, to provide annual, age-appropriate firearm instruction
to students in kindergarten programs and grades 1 through 12.
2.
Requires
the firearm instruction to:
a)
be
limited to accident prevention and personal safety awareness;
b)
be
objective and not either promote or discourage firearm ownership or advocate
for or against any political position, public policy or legislative proposal;
and
c)
include
at least one of the following:
i.
instruction on the importance of safe firearm storage in homes and motor
vehicles;
ii.
guidance
on appropriate actions if a student encounters a firearm, including not
touching the firearm, leaving the immediate area and immediately notifying a
parent, teacher or other trusted adult; or
iii.
age-appropriate discussion of risks associated with unsafe handling or
unauthorized access to firearms.
3.
Prohibits
the firearm instruction from including:
a)
a live firearm;
b)
ammunition or simulated ammunition;
c)
a demonstration that involves handling, operating, loading, unloading or
firing a firearm;
d)
instruction that is intended to train students in the use of firearms;
e)
a moral judgement regarding lawful firearm possession; and
f)
an
inquiry, survey or request for information about whether a student, the
student's parents or a member of the student's household owns, possesses a
firearm or about the firearms storage practices of a student, student's parent
or member of the student's household.
4.
Allows
a school district or charter school to provide the firearm instruction through:
a)
classroom-based instruction;
b)
an assembly presentation;
c)
video instruction or digital instructional materials that are approved
by ADE; or
d)
instruction
that is incorporated into the school district's or charter school's existing
health or safety curricula.
5.
Requires ADE to coordinate with DPS and the AZGFD to develop firearm
safety and awareness instructional materials and make the instructional
materials available to school districts and charter schools.
6.
Specifies
that the firearm safety and awareness instructional materials must be:
a)
developmentally appropriate for each grade band;
b)
fact-based and neutral in presentation; and
c)
designed
to promote injury prevention and student safety.
7.
Requires each school district and charter school to make all learning
materials that are used to satisfy the firearm instruction requirements
available for parental review, including through electronic access when
practicable.
8.
Determines
that the firearm instructional requirements do not:
a)
regulate the possession, ownership, transfer or lawful use of firearms;
b)
authorize any person to collect student information related to firearms;
or
c)
conflict
with any firearm preemption law in this state.
9.
Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Amendments Adopted by Committee
�
Adds, to the firearm instruction prohibitions, an inquiry, survey
or request for information about whether a student, the student's parents or a
member of the student's household owns, possesses a firearm or about the
firearms storage practices of a student, student's parent or member of the
student's household.
Senate Action
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Prepared by Senate Research
February 19, 2026
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Current Bill Text
Read the full stored bill text
SB1424 - 572R - S Ver
Senate Engrossed
firearm safety
instruction; public schools
State of Arizona
Senate
Fifty-seventh Legislature
Second Regular Session
2026
SENATE BILL 1424
AN
ACT
amending title 15, chapter 7, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 15-714.02; relating to school
curricula.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it
enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Title 15, chapter 7, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 15-714.02, to read:
START_STATUTE
15-714.02.
Firearm safety and awareness instruction requirement; instructional
materials
A. Beginning in the 2027-2028
school year, each school district and charter school shall provide annual,
age-appropriate firearm safety awareness instruction to students in
kindergarten programs and each of grades one through twelve.� The instruction
required by this section must:
1. Be limited to accident prevention
and personal safety awareness.
2. Include at least the following:
(
a
) Instruction
on the importance of safe firearm storage in homes and motor vehicles.
(
b
) Guidance on
appropriate actions if a student encounters a firearm, including not touching
the firearm, leaving the immediate area and immediately notifying a parent,
teacher or other trusted adult.
(
c
) Age-appropriate
discussion of risks associated with unsafe handling or unauthorized access to
firearms.
3. Not include any of the following:
(
a
) A live
firearm.
(
b
) Ammunition
or simulated ammunition.
(
c
) A
demonstration that involves handling, operating, loading, unloading or firing a
firearm.
(
d
) Instruction
that is intended to train students in the use of firearms.
(
e
) A moral
judgment regarding lawful firearm possession.
(
f
) aN INQUIRY,
SURVEY OR REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ABOUT WHETHER A student, STUDENT'S PARENT OR
MEMBER OF THE STUDENT'S HOUSEHOLD OWNS, POSSESSES OR MAY POSSESS A FIREARM OR
ABOUT THE FIREARMs STORAGE PRACTICES OF A STUDENT, STUDENT'S PARENT OR member
of the STUDENT'S HOUSEHOLD.
4. Be objective and not either
promote or discourage firearm ownership or advocate for or against any
political position, public policy or legislative proposal.
B. A school district or charter
school may provide the instruction required by this section through any of the
following:
1. Classroom-based instruction.
2. An assembly presentation.
3. Video instruction or digital
instructional materials that are approved by the department of education.
4. Instruction that is incorporated
into the school district's or charter school's existing health or safety
curricula.
C. The Department of Education shall
coordinate with the Department of Public Safety and the Arizona Game and Fish
Department to develop firearm safety and awareness instructional materials and
shall make the instructional materials available to school districts and
charter schools in this state. The instructional materials developed
pursuant to this subsection must be:
1. Developmentally appropriate for
each grade band.
2. Fact-based and neutral in
presentation.
3. Designed to promote injury
prevention and student safety.
D. Notwithstanding section 15-113,
subsection B, each school district and charter school in this state shall make
all learning materials that are used to satisfy the instruction requirements
prescribed by this section available for parental review, including through
electronic access when practicable.
E. This section does not:
1. Regulate the possession,
ownership, transfer or lawful use of firearms.
2. Authorize any person to collect
student information related to firearms.
3. Conflict with any firearm
preemption law in this state.
END_STATUTE