A new law allows Illinois schools to teacher hunter education courses both during, and after school.

Fox News reports that the hunter education course includes a gun safety component.

Central Illinois Proud reports that the bill Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed, HB 3462, allows each school district to decide if they will offer a hunter education course.

Teacher Joseph Villarreal spoke out against teaching hunting education and gun safety, saying, “Guns and schools do not mix. And as a school teacher, I believe that we should not promote anything that is gun related.” But State Sen. Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville) presented the other side of the argument, saying, “Students who are exposed to lessons in hunting safety have a greater chance of respecting firearms and using them properly for the rest of their lives.”

Plummer added, “As the law is shifting to emphasize the importance of safe handling, adopting legislation like this could make for an accessible path for students to learn these methods in-depth, early on in their lives.”

The NRA’s Lars Dalseide explained that the state Board of Education must still set guidelines for course. Yet he made clear that “it’s encouraging to see Illinois agree to provide courses that teach the safe and responsible use of firearms.”

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.