Nearly 2/3 of Utahns think teachers should be allowed to carry concealed weapons in classrooms.
Earlier in September, a teacher accidentally shot herself in the leg at Westbrook Elementary in the school's bathroom. Under Utah law, teachers are permitted to carry concealed weapons in classrooms and they do not have to inform parents or school administrators about the presence of the weapon.
A new UtahPolicy.com poll conducted by Dan Jones and associates finds 64% support teachers carrying concealed weapons in school, while just 33% say teachers should not. That number is slightly higher than a 2013 poll that found nearly 60% think teachers should be allowed to have concealed weapons in school.
Utahns also think teachers should be required to tell parents and school administrators about the presence of the concealed weapon. 60% say teachers should tell parents and school officials, while 32% say they should not. In 2013, 82% said they should have a right to know if a teacher were carrying a concealed wepon in the classroom.
Not surprisingly, most Utahns think concealed weapons in classrooms has a positive effect on school safety. 66% say schools are safer because there may be concealed weapons while just 19% say they are not.
The survey was conducted September 16-18 among 395 likely Utah voters. It has a margin of error of +/- 4.93%.
[Editor's note: Zions Bank is a major sponsor of Utah Policy which makes production of these public opinion surveys possible.]
