In the aftermath of a deadly school shooting at Apalachee High School in Northeast Georgia early this month that left four people dead and nine others wounded, a new poll reveals widespread support for increased mental health services, school safety reforms and holding students and parents accountable for threats of violence. Conducted by the Republican-aligned Cygnal polling firm, the survey of 518 Georgia parents of K-12 students sheds light on the priorities of families as the state legislature prepares to tackle gun safety policies next year.
Key Findings from the Poll:
- 71% of parents support increasing mental health services in schools to help prevent violent incidents.
- 69% support enforcing severe consequences for students who threaten mass violence.
- 59% of respondents favor holding parents accountable if their children commit acts of violence with firearms.
- 65% support training fully armed school safety officers.
- 88% believe that students who make threats to “shoot up a school” should face expulsion, arrest or other penalties.
- 52% of parents back allowing more local school boards to permit teachers to carry firearms, though 34% oppose the idea.
- 83% agree that parents should be notified of threats made by students, even if the student is cleared by law enforcement.
While a strong consensus exists on mental health and student accountability measures, more divisive proposals, such as raising the minimum age to purchase a firearm (42%) and banning assault rifles (36%), garnered less support. Additionally, only 19% supported the GOP-backed idea of ending “gun-free zones.”
These results provide a potential roadmap for lawmakers in the upcoming legislative session, with a focus on mental health, school safety, and holding both students and parents accountable for violence threats.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: “House Speaker Jon Burns took an initial step last week when he outlined a series of proposals to expand mental health access, crack down on school shooting threats and give state-backed incentives for people buying safety mechanisms.”
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