Utah Launches Optional Gun Safety Program For Schools

Aug 29, 2019, 12:41 PM | Updated: Jun 8, 2022, 5:02 pm

File photo (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

(Scott Olson/Getty Images)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah officials are unveiling a gun safety program aimed at preventing accidental shootings that will be optional for schools. The program was mandated three years ago by state lawmakers who have consistently rejected gun-control measures.

Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes said Thursday at a news conference that the program avoids the politically sensitive issues of gun policy and instead addresses the reality that an estimated four in 10 households in the state have a gun.

The program features a 5-minute video and is designed for children in 5th-12th grades. School districts will have to approve the course and parents will have to provide written permission for their children to participate.

Reyes says it’s unknown how many districts will use the program.

The launch comes one day after a teenager was arrested after bringing a gun to a high school.

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