SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah elementary school teacher who was carrying a concealed firearm at work accidentally shot herself in the leg when the weapon discharged in a faculty bathroom shortly before class Thursday morning, officials said.
Granite School District spokesman Ben Horsley said the teacher at Westbrook Elementary School, in the Salt Lake City suburb of Taylorsville, was severely injured when the bullet entered and exited her leg, and she was rushed to a hospital.
No other faculty or students were in the area, he said.
Officials are still investigating how the gun discharged.
Horsley wouldn’t release details about the woman or what she taught, but he said she was carrying the weapon legally with a concealed firearm permit.
Utah is among the few states that allow people with concealed weapons permits to carry guns in public schools, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Educators have said they have no way of determining how many Utah teachers are armed, but gun-rights advocates have estimated that 1 percent, or about 240 teachers in the state, are licensed to carry weapons.
Utah teachers are allowed to carry guns, but the weapons must be completely concealed and kept with theteacher at all times, including inside a bathroom stall, according to the state office of education.
Teachers and staff without a concealed carry permit can still bring a gun to school if an administrator approves, if they happen to live on school property, or if they work in law enforcement.
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Thank you for continuing to run the stories of just some of the many shootings - accidental or tragically intentional - that occur every day in the US because of the unnecessarily broad proliferation of guns here. They must stop being invisible for people to realize just how much of a price we pay for this.
But, but… The NRA said that arming teachers was a good idea!!
Wait, was she the good guy with the gun or the bad guy with the gun? I’ve lost track.
Why did I have a male teacher pictured in my mind?
She was aiming for her head?
Couldn’t stand the thought of dealing with kids?