The one time you can generally trust the term “gun safety” is when it’s in conjunction with hunter education courses.

After all, safety actually matters while hunting and you really can’t educate hunters without talking about basic firearm safety to some degree or another. Frankly, people can benefit from such courses even if they’re not into hunting, but the problem is making it easier for young people to get that particular bit of education.

Now, though, a Michigan lawmaker wants to put these courses into schools.

Michigan State Senator Jon Bumstead (R- North Muskegon) has introduced a bill to allow schools to offer an option for a gun safety and hunting course.

Bumstead introduced Senate Bill 664 with the backing of the Michigan Department of Education and the Department of Natural Resources. It’s also supported by the Michigan United Conservation Club.

Amy Trotter, CEO of Michigan United Conservation Club, said offering a class in school will foster an appreciation of conserving the state’s natural resources.

“We simply want to create future conservation stewards throughout our state,” she told Nexstar’s WLNS. “And the best way to do that is through education. And the place where kids are is in the schools.”

She said the legislation, if it becomes law, would encourage youth to become involved in hunting.

“Our hunting ranks are shrinking,” she said. “We’re not doing a good enough job getting new kids in to replace the people who are aging out of the hunting activities. So this is a great way to really recruit and retain individuals.”

Hunting is one of those things that does far more than just keep the tradition of hunting alive. It helps control animal populations, preventing them from overeating their natural food sources and creating problems there, and does so in a way that puts food on people’s table.

That’s very important.

And, let’s be real here, the gun safety aspect is just as important, even if people never climb into a deer stand.

I’ve seen and written about far too many cases of kids finding guns, picking them up instead of notifying an adult, and someone being injured or killed due to improper handling.

You’re never going to stop kids from doing dumb stuff to some degree or another, but you can at least try to give them the tools to know what they’re doing is dumb. Gun safety education needs to be part of everyone’s education, even if they’re not gun people.

This bill in Michigan is a good step in that direction, and the benefits to hunting in the state are probably as important.

Now, the question is whether lawmakers in Michigan–who have been talking “gun safety” far more euphemistically of late–will have the brains to pass it.