IGLULIK - A student shot while hunting this past spring was the catalyst for the entire high school to receive firearms training late last month.

Victoria Qattalik, left, and Travis Ittuksardjuat are two of the students at Ataguttaaluk High School in Iglulik who followed a firearms training course late last month. - photo courtesy of Ataguttaaluk High School

The Grade 8 student was lucky to survive the accident, said Daniel Guay, a teacher at Ataguttaaluk High School.

“All the students and staff have been really worried about gun safety. We think it's something very important for the students to learn,” he said.

He added guns are a great tool if used safely.

Theo Ikummaq, a conservation officer in Iglulik, taught the school's 250 students the safe handling and storage of firearms at home and out in the field during 45-minute presentations to each class. Being safe around firearms while hunting, camping and at home is required, he added.

“This was well worthwhile,” he said. “They can have firearms and be safe around firearms as well. Even though there's firearms, it doesn't really have to mean there is danger about ...”

Ikummaq said students also shared their experiences around firearms, notably the student involved in the hunting accident.

“I keep telling the students here, don't just look at the firearm, make sure you point it out to somebody who might be responsible enough to check that it would be safe. For storage, keep them away from children, if at all possible,” he said. “They were quite keen with their questions as well on how else they can be safe.”

Listening to the presentation were students Travis Ittuksardjuat and Victoria Qattalik.

Ittuksardjuat, a 17-year-old Grade 10 student, said he owns a firearms, which he hunts and shoot practises with. He said he learned from the presentation to be safe around guns, not to play with it, to always put a trigger lock, to keep it away from children and to point the gun down when loading it.

“It's very important to me. You have to be so careful with it. It's not safe and dangerous,” he said.

For Qattalik, a 13-year-old Grade 8 student, she said the training was important because she has younger siblings. She said she would handle her firearm differently now that she has received the training although she could not describe how exactly.

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