Utah Town Makes Arming Households a Top Priority
By BRADY McCOMBS Associated Press
SPRING CITY, Utah January 9, 2013 (AP)
Officials in a small Utah town want to make sure every head of household
has a firearm and knows how to use it, and they want to give school
teachers training with guns too.
Spring City Councilman Neil Sorensen first proposed an ordinance
requiring a gun in every household in the town of 1,000. The rest of the
council scoffed at making it a requirement, but they unanimously agreed
to move forward with an ordinance "recommending" the idea.
The council also approved funding to offer concealed firearms training
Friday to the 20 teachers and administrators at the local elementary
school.
"It sends a statement that criminals better think twice," Sorensen told
The Associated Press on Tuesday. "If a teacher would have had a
concealed weapon in Sandy Hook, I think the death loss would have been
fewer. If sane, trained people had guns, they could have shot back."
The measure, which will go before the full council in February for
further review, seems to have the support of the council's five members
and many residents in the farming community about 90 miles south of Salt
Lake City.
But school administrators don't think arming teachers is wise, and they
are not encouraging teachers to participate in Friday's training.
"The more guns you have in the school, the more dangerous it is," said
Leslie Keisel, superintendent of the North Sanpete School District.
Councilman Noel Bertelson said making guns in every house mandatory was
too much, but he agrees the town would be safer if everyone was armed.
With only a part-time police force, he said, response time is not like
it is in a big city.
"If a person is able to take care of themselves for a while, it would probably be a good thing," Bertelson said.
The community is still reeling from the double-murder on New Year's Eve
2011 of an elderly couple in nearby Mount Pleasant. Sorensen said what
used to be a peaceful, quiet town has been sullied by increasing
criminal activity.
Thefts of metal for scrap and other property also have become a problem, Councilman Boyd Mickel said.
"We are kind of tired of people breaking in and taking stuff," said
Mickel, explaining why he voted to urge every house to have a gun.
Timm Thompson, a coal miner and father of four girls who lives in Spring City, backs the council's measure.
"People think small towns are a good place to live," Thompson said. "But there is more crime and drugs than you can imagine."
Thompson, who owns 78 guns he keeps locked in a safe, doesn't want
teachers to act as police officers. He said some kids are "hooligans"
and could overpower teachers for the guns.
Sisters Katy Harmer and Caroline Lott, however, say arming teachers
would make them feel better about sending their children to the Spring
City Elementary School. The co-owners of the town's coffee shop, Das
Coffee, said most Spring City residents keep guns for hunting, leaving
only a handful without weapons.
Angela Johnson, owner of the Sinclair gas station, said she doesn't like guns but backs the council's proposal.
"If criminals knew they would be fired against, I think it would cause pause," Johnson said.
Because the Spring City Council is stopping short of a law requiring gun
ownership, elected officials won't run afoul of state law, former Utah
Attorney General Mark Shurtleff told KSL.com.
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