There are many categories of gun carriers: military personnel; police officers; school security officers; citizens with concealed weapons permits; law-abiding citizens without concealed carry permits; and lawbreakers who ignore and violate any or all gun laws (includes murderers).
When people are asked your Deseret News poll question: "Do you favor or oppose outlawing all guns from public schools, even those carried by law-abiding citizens with concealed weapons permits?" many will choose the provided response, "Strongly favor outlawing guns." They are assuming such an anti-gun law will help eliminate murderers from our schools. In reality, such an anti-gun law only stops law-abiding citizens.Such an all-inclusive anti-gun law would send the clear message to lawbreakers that schools and churches are gun-free zones or nonthreatening targets for warped-minded murderers to more easily carry out their murderous intentions. This type of anti-gun law would make schools and churches more vulnerable ("sitting ducks") to the very threat of gun violence we all want eliminated.
We would more likely accomplish this end (eliminating gun violence) by targeting lawbreakers. This is done with swifter and tougher penalties for criminals violating our existing gun laws.
Sen. Orrin Hatch has been promoting this policy of getting tougher on criminals of gun violence and enforcing the many federal gun laws, which have been grossly unenforced by our present administration. So please, no more misleading poll questions that rig desired percentage results.
David R. Scott
Sandy