Opinion: Why are so many young students carrying guns to school?

Anyone who doubts that Utah has the same problem as the rest of the nation when it comes to firearms in school must have forgotten what happened a year ago in Vernal.

As KSL.com reported that day, a school resource officer at Vernal Middle School, Orion Young, was able to apprehend a student and his gun before anything bad happened. Police had little more to say than that at the time.

This week, The Washington Post filled in some of the details. A student had come to the office, saying he had heard another boy brag he was going to shoot his ex-girlfriend and her best friend. The student said he had seen a loaded gun in the other boy’s backpack. To be safe, he had brought both of the girls to the office when he made the report.

Office workers provided Young with the suspect’s class schedule. He rushed to the boy’s classroom and, with the help of another officer, was able to grab the boy just as he was reaching for his backpack after seeing the officers. Inside the backpack, they found the loaded gun.

Please help put parents in charge of their child’s education by forwarding this article to other parents, family, friends and voters.

Other Articles

Hoping to lower dropout rates, Newsom bans ‘willful defiance’ suspensions through high school
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday signed a bill that will ban “willful defiance” suspensions for middle and high school students who demonstrate bad behavior, including breaking the dress code, talking back to a teacher or using their phone in class.
Read More
Welding is a way back to school for California kids who regularly ditch classes
Career training can win back disengaged students, a welding teacher says, but California erred by emphasizing college for all education.
Read More
Education leaders foster statewide ethnic studies programs
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond hosted a webinar featuring a variety of inspirational speakers who discussed the importance and journey of ethnic studies in California.
Read More
Our public schools are a national disaster
Perhaps what’s most distressing about the latest collapse in high school test scores is that no one seems to be very distressed.
Read More
31-year-old California teacher’s jobs give him ‘time,’ ‘freedom’ and $115,000 a year—here’s how he spends his money
Jae Byun loves his job as a high school math teacher and basketball coach. And he makes six figures doing it.
Read More
What Is Tenure for Teachers?
A policy that’s both common and controversial.
Read More
Outdated, Inaccurate Education Data in California Hamstrings Lawmakers and Public
The California Department of Education's data has been found to be outdated by years due to lack of staffing as legislators, researchers and journalists grapple with inaccurate information.
Read More
A New California Law Will Soon Block Schools From Banning LGBTQ+ Books
“All students deserve the freedom to read and learn about the truth, the world, and themselves," Gov. Newsom said in announcing the law.
Read More

Get latest news delivered daily!

We will send you breaking news right to your inbox

© 2025 educationopportunity.org, Privacy Policy | FPPC #1460602