Minnesota Passes Bill for Firearms Safety Class In School

This is a big win for outdoorsmen in Minnesota.

The omnibus environment and natural resources spending bill, SF 7, has been passed by the state house and senate and now sits on Governor Walz’s desk for signing. The bill includes $500,000 per year to promote firearms safety, hunting and angling education, sport shooting training, and archery education in schools as part of the physical education curriculum.

The money will be administered as part of the “No Child Left Inside” program and it will be distributed evenly across the state. The bill also includes $100,000 per year for the improvement of public shooting ranges across Minnesota.

You can read the language of the bill providing these grants below. Click here to read the full bill.

By January 15, 2020, the commissioner of 
natural resources must submit a report to the 
chairs and ranking minority members of the 
house of representatives and senate 
committees and divisions with jurisdiction 
over environment and natural resources with 
the results of the program and guidelines 
developed under this paragraph.

(d) Notwithstanding Minnesota Statutes, 
section 297A.94, $182,000 the first year from 
the general fund and $318,000 the first year 
from the heritage enhancement account in the 
game and fish fund are for grants for 
natural-resource-based education and 
recreation programs under Minnesota Statutes, 
section 84.976. This is a onetime 
appropriation.

(e) $500,000 the first year is from the game 
and fish fund for grants to school districts and 
American Indian-controlled tribal contract or 
grant schools to increase firearms safety, trap 
shooting, archery, hunting, and angling 
activities in courses that are consistent with 
required state standards for physical education. 
In developing the grant program, the 
commissioner must consult with stakeholders, 
including representatives from the tribal 
governments. The grants must be administered 
through the no child left inside grant program 
established under Minnesota Statutes, section 
84.976. Grants must be awarded on a 
geographically balanced, statewide basis. This 
is a onetime appropriation.

(f) Notwithstanding Minnesota Statutes, 
section 297A.94, $200,000 the first year is 
from the heritage enhancement account in the 
game and fish fund for grants to nonprofit 
organizations operating high school fishing 
leagues and providing basic angling 
curriculum. The grants must be administered 
through the no child left inside grant program 
established under Minnesota Statutes, section 
84.976. This is a onetime appropriation.

(g) $8,546,000 the first year and $8,546,000 
the second year are from the deer management 
account for the purposes identified in 
Minnesota Statutes, section 97A.075, 
subdivision 1.

(h) Notwithstanding Minnesota Statutes, 
section 297A.94, $100,000 the first year and 
$100,000 the second year are from the heritage 
enhancement account in the game and fish 
fund for shooting sports facility grants under 
Minnesota Statutes, section 87A.10, including 
grants for archery facilities. Grants must be 
matched with a nonstate match, which may 
include in-kind contributions. This is a 
onetime appropriation.

Teaching children about firearms safety is important whether or not you have guns in your home. You never know when you child will encounter a firearm, but when they do you want to make sure they know how to handle it responsibly.

Here is a video from The Bearded Outdoors about keeping kids interested in outdoor sports.