KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — On Jan. 1, a Tennessee law went into effect that offer gun shops some reimbursements as long as they host an "approved handgun safety school." They can get $30 for each person that completes a course.
It was spearheaded by Sen. Becky Massey (R - Knoxville), who said that it was meant to encourage discussions about safer gun use, instead of just subsidizing safety classes. She said by opening up conversations on gun safety, she hopes fewer people would be wounded in Tennessee by guns.
"It was a matter of making it available, helping educate people that that had an interest in guns and make sure that if they did (buy guns), that they had the opportunity to take a safe safety course and that finances wasn't a deterrent," she said.
People don't necessarily need to buy guns to take a safety course. Safety courses also need to meet the requirements set by the state, such as being federally licensed and approved by the state. Reimbursement funds also must be used to help offset the costs of hosting a gun safety class.
Gun shops need to submit paperwork to qualify for the reimbursement. The reimbursement will only be available for a year and will expire in January 2025. The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security will then need to submit a report on the number of courses that were taken through the program.
The report will be given to the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the chair of the House Criminal Justice Committee.