HB 324

                                1  HOUSE BILL 324
                                2     57TH LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 2026
                                3  INTRODUCED BY
                                4  Mark Duncan and Jonathan A. Henry and Rebecca Dow
                                5  and Rod Montoya
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                                10  AN ACT
                                11   RELATING TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS; REQUIRING SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND
                                12   CHARTER SCHOOLS TO PROVIDE ANNUAL FIREARM SAFETY TRAINING;
                                13   PROVIDING REQUIREMENTS FOR THE TRAINING; ASSIGNING POWERS AND
                                14   DUTIES TO THE PUBLIC EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AND THE DEPARTMENT OF
                                15   PUBLIC SAFETY.
                                16
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                                17   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
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                                18        SECTION 1.    A new section of the Public School Code is
                                19   enacted to read:
                                20        "[NEW MATERIAL] ANNUAL FIREARM SAFETY TRAINING--
                                21   REQUIREMENTS FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND CHARTER SCHOOLS--
                                22   DEPARTMENT DUTIES.--
                                23  A.   Beginning in the 2027-2028 school year, each
                                24   school district and charter school shall provide annual firearm
                                25   safety training to students in sixth through twelfth grade;
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                                1    provided that a school district or charter school may provide
                                2    the training to students in pre-kindergarten through fifth
                                3    grade.
                                4  B.   Firearm safety training shall be developed or
                                5    otherwise approved by the department and the department of
                                6    public safety.    At minimum, the training shall:
                                7  (1)   be developmentally and age-appropriate for
                                8    the grade in which the training is provided;
                                9  (2)   cover the following topics:
                                10  (a)   safe storage of firearms;
                                11  (b)   school safety issues related to
                                12   firearms;
                                13  (c)   if applicable, protocols for young
                                14   children who find a firearm, including:     1) how to avoid injury
                                15   upon finding a firearm; 2) never touching a found firearm; and
                                16   3) immediately notifying an adult upon finding a firearm; and
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                                17  (d)   if applicable, protocols for
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                                18   teenagers and young adults who find or have access to firearms;
                                19  (3)   be viewpoint-neutral on political and
                                20   legal issues related to firearms and the right to keep and bear
                                21   arms; and
                                22  (4)   be a non-shooting training that does not
                                23   include the use or presence of live ammunition, live fire or
                                24   live firearms.
                                25  C.   If the department and the department of public
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                                1    safety approve a firearm safety training provided by a private
                                2    person, the training shall not use branded content affiliated
                                3    with a commercial or nonprofit organization.
                                4  D.   The department and the department of public
                                5    safety may approve a firearm safety training that is provided
                                6    in a classroom setting, by video or through the review of
                                7    physical or digital resources or materials.
                                8  E.   Each school district and charter school shall
                                9    determine how to incorporate the training into the school
                                10   year."
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                                     .233008.2