Nearly 3 in 4 parents say they are at least somewhat concerned about the possibility of gun violence at their children’s school, according to a CBS News/YouGov poll that finds 1 in 3 is “very concerned” amid reports of shootings.
It’s not just the parents. More than half of parents told pollsters their school-aged children sometimes worry about gun violence at school, including more than a quarter who say their children worry a lot.
Many of the parents discussed the recent school shooting in which 19 children and two adults were killed in Uvalde, Texas.
“Majorities of parents say their children have felt sadness, while half are nervous, scared, angry, or stressed after seeing or hearing about the shooting,” CBS said Sunday in describing its poll.
Parents support a variety of measures to protect schools, including 82% who want schools to practice lockdowns and active shooter drills and 75% who would like to have armed security guards or police in school.
Pollsters found that 56% support allowing teachers or school officials to carry guns in school, though Republicans are far more likely to support it (72% versus 28% who oppose it) than Democrats, with 42% in favor and 58% in opposition.
The poll was conducted June 1-3 among a nationally representative sample of 2,021 adults. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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