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Senator advances voluntary firearm‑safety program for Utah schools with $75,000 request
Summary
Senate Bill 43 would set aside about $75,000 from the general fund to create an opt‑in firearm‑safety program for public schools that teaches children not to touch found guns and to seek help; the sponsor framed the measure as a response to a recent local death and said it previously passed the Senate by a narrow margin.
A senator on the Senate floor introduced Senate Bill 43 on the second‑reading calendar, proposing a voluntary firearm‑safety program for Utah public schools and asking for roughly $75,000 from the general fund to support it.
The sponsor described the program as an optional, district‑level curriculum or assembly to teach children what to do if they encounter a firearm — specifically, not to touch a found gun and to call an adult. “We have programs in school about what to do if you encounter illegal drugs ... And yet we don't really talk about guns,” the sponsor said, arguing schools should be able to opt in to age‑appropriate training.
The senator framed the bill as a response to a recent, “horrible, tragic” death in the sponsor’s community and said the measure previously passed the Senate by a narrow margin last year. The sponsor asked for a modest appropriation — “$75,000 from the general fund” — to allow districts to offer the program on an opt‑in basis.
The sponsor also offered an illustrative anecdote: he told of a 10‑ or 11‑year‑old who, having been taught firearm safety, intervened when a peer found a loaded weapon in a drawer and prevented the child from taking it. “He had been trained that you don't pick up a gun,” the sponsor said, using the story to argue that brief, focused training can change behavior and reduce risk.
The sponsor said he had discussed the idea with the state school board and proposed a format that could be shown statewide as an opt‑in assembly. No floor vote on Senate Bill 43 is recorded in the provided transcript; the bill was placed on the second‑reading calendar for consideration in the afternoon session.
The record contains inconsistent spellings of the sponsor's name (the transcript identifies the sponsor variously as “Senator Wyler” and “Senator Weiler”); the audio record should be consulted for an authoritative spelling before publication.
Next steps: the Senate moved to the second‑reading calendar and proceeded to discuss the bill; the transcript does not show a final vote or committee referral in the provided excerpt.
