Utah Governor Signs Bill Allowing Teachers To Carry Firearms On Campus

Utah’s Gov. Spencer Cox has signed a bill that encourages teachers to carry a gun or keep one in the classroom.  

According to The Guardian, Utah Legislation will be paying for the annual training teachers can take for defending the classroom and how to use a firearm in school. This is on top of a law that came out last year waived concealed carry permit fees for instructors.  

There are gun violence prevention groups that are heavily against this law because they believe that having guns on campus does not mean more safety for students and staff. 

Now, Utah is one of 16 states that allows school employees to carry guns on campus. However, they either need permission from a school administrator or a concealed carry permit.  

Another thing about this bill is that it does not prevent those who don’t take the state’s course from carrying a firearm on campus.  

In 2023 there were several hoax calls about shooters coming to Utah campuses and the year prior to that, students were injured and killed by a teen shooter outside of a school.  

A school district won’t be responsible if a teacher fires a weapon on campus, The Guardian said.  

Instructors who don’t carry their firearm on their person will have to put it in a biometric safe that will use either eye retina or fingerprint scanning. However, teachers will have to pay for the gun safe themselves.  

HB 119 is just one of the two bills that are being used to help with campus safety.