SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (New4Utah) After the school massacre in Florida, President Donald Trump is considering allowing teachers to carry concealed firearms in classrooms.
In Utah, that controversial proposal has been on the books for more than a decade. Anyone can pack heat on school property as long as they have a valid concealed carry permit.
“I wanted a better plan, I wanted more protection for my students,” said Kasey Hansen to ABC’s Nightline.
The Granite School District employee regularly conceal carries in class.
“The thought of carrying in a corner, protecting your students, with no options other than just standing there, hoping nobody comes in, just didn’t sit right with me,” Hansen said.
“It can be a teacher, it can be a parent volunteer, it can be a custodian, it can be a principal,” said Utah State Board of Education spokesperson Mark Peterson about who can bring a firearm to school with a permit.
Peterson said there is no way of knowing how many Utahns take firearms into the state’s 1,113 public and charter schools. It’s illegal for anyone to ask and carriers aren’t required to say if they have a firearm.
It is illegal to bring a firearm onto school property without a valid concealed carry permit. The penalty is can be a Class A or Class B misdemeanor.
Hansen’s full interview will air Thursday, Feb. 22 on ABC’s Nightline at 11:37 p.m.
