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Gun Safety Training

    Gun Safety Training

      What does this solve?

      States should require a person to complete safety training prior to purchasing a gun or carrying a gun in public. Training ensures that gun owners are educated on the responsible practices for handling and using firearms, storing them securely at home and in vehicles, as well as carrying guns in public.

      It is common sense that before using a gun, a person should receive training on how to do it safely. But research shows that 39 percent of gun owners have no safety training.1Ali Rowhani-Rahbar et al., “Formal Firearm Training among Adults in the USA: Results of a National Survey,” Injury Prevention 23, no. 2 (2018): 161–65, https://doi.org/10.1136/injuryprev-2017-042352. Before buying a gun, all people should be required to receive comprehensive firearm training, which should include live-fire training experience. The training should also include instruction on how to securely store and responsibly handle, use, and transport a firearm. Education on self-defense laws, how to de-escalate arguments, and the risks associated with children and people with suicidal thoughts accessing firearms are essential knowledge for gun owners.

      Which states require gun buyers to have firearm training?

      10 states have adopted this policy

      AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Alabama has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Alaska has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Arizona has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Arkansas has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      California has adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Colorado has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Connecticut has adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Delaware has adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Florida has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Georgia has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Hawaii has adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Idaho has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Illinois has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Indiana has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Iowa has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Kansas has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Kentucky has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Louisiana has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Maine has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Maryland has adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Massachusetts has adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Michigan has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Minnesota has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Mississippi has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Missouri has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Montana has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Nebraska has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Nevada has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      New Hampshire has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      New Jersey has adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      New Mexico has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      New York has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      North Carolina has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      North Dakota has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Ohio has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Oklahoma has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Oregon has adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Pennsylvania has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Rhode Island has adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      South Carolina has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      South Dakota has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Tennessee has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Texas has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Utah has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Vermont has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Virginia has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Washington has adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      West Virginia has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Wisconsin has not adopted this policy

      Training Required to Purchase Guns

      Wyoming has not adopted this policy

      How it Works

      Safety training ensures that gun owners know how to use and handle firearms properly as well as store them securely.

      Permitless Carry: Carrying a Concealed Gun in Public with No Permit and No Training Fact Sheet

      Firearm safety training provides gun owners with the proper education on how to handle, use, store, and transport guns, and all gun owners should be required to complete safety training prior to buying one. In a self-defense experiment involving a firearm simulator, participants with lower levels of firearm training and experience performed worse than those with higher levels of training. Many unintentionally “shot” innocent bystanders or unarmed people.1Joseph J. Vince Jr., Timothy Wolfe, and Layton Field, “Firearms Training and Self-Defense: Does the Quality and Frequency of Training Determine the Realistic Use of Firearms by Citizens for Self-Defense? Facts and Evidence for Public Policy Considerations” (Mount St. Mary’s University and the National Gun Victims Action Council, 2015). Firearm safety training is also crucial for gun owners who desire to carry their guns in public. In fact, law enforcement experts, firearm trainers, and military personnel overwhelmingly agree that people who carry concealed weapons in public should take firearm training, including live-fire training.

      By the numbers

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      Gun Safety Training

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      Did you know?

      In a national survey, 86 percent of non-owners living with a firearm owner reported they have never received formal firearm training.

      Ali Rowhani-Rahbar et al., “Formal Firearm Training among Adults in the USA: Results of a National Survey,” Injury Prevention 23, no. 2 (2018): 161–65, https://doi.org/10.1136/injuryprev-2017-042352.