Requires certain school districts to offer Eddie Eagle Gunsafe Program.
Assembly Bill 5129 requires school districts that include preschool through grade five, or any combination of those grades, to implement the Eddie Eagle Gunsafe Program. The bill is aimed at firearm accident prevention for young children and is framed as a safety education measure rather than a policy statement about guns. It directs schools to teach children a simple response if they encounter a firearm: stop, do not touch it, leave the area, and tell an adult.
The bill also specifies that school personnel and instructors may not make value judgments about firearms while teaching the program, and they may not use or demonstrate a firearm in instruction. The legislation takes effect immediately and would add a new requirement to Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes governing school education and safety programming.
If enacted, the bill would require covered New Jersey school districts to add the Eddie Eagle Gunsafe Program to their curriculum for preschool through grade 5 students. It would create a statewide mandate for firearm-encounter safety instruction in those districts and limit how the program may be taught by prohibiting the use or demonstration of actual firearms. The bill would supplement chapter 35 of Title 18A, affecting school district instructional obligations and potentially requiring districts to adopt materials, training, or outside programming to comply.
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes, the measure appears to be presented as a child safety initiative with a straightforward supportive framing from its sponsor. The statement emphasizes protection of children and law enforcement endorsement of the program, suggesting the bill is intended to be viewed as a preventive safety measure. No formal vote history or hearing record is provided, so there is no documented legislative opposition or support beyond the bill’s own framing.
The main point of contention is likely to be the use of an NRA-created program in public schools, which may raise concerns among opponents about gun-related messaging, political influence, or whether such instruction belongs in the classroom. Supporters would likely emphasize the program’s narrow safety focus, age-appropriate messaging, and prohibition on using real firearms in instruction. Another possible issue is whether the mandate should apply uniformly to all covered districts or be left to local discretion.