SAN FRANCISCO—An overwhelming majority of Californians are concerned about the threat of a mass shooting in their local schools in the wake of the Parkland, Florida, killings. But a majority also oppose allowing more teachers and school officials to carry guns in schools.

These are among the key findings of a statewide survey on education released Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC).

Two-thirds of adults and public school parents oppose allowing more teachers and school officials to carry guns in schools. There are stark partisan differences on this question. An overwhelming majority of Democrats (86%) and a strong majority of independents (69%) are opposed, while a solid majority of Republicans (60%) favor allowing more teachers and school officials to carry guns.

Californians in the PPIC survey (67%) are more likely to oppose arming school officials than are adults nationwide (50%, according to a February 2018 CBS News poll).

Asked about another contentious national issue involving children in schools, 70 percent of Californians are very (43%) or somewhat (27%) concerned that federal immigration enforcement will affect undocumented students in local public schools and their families.

For the second year in a row, 65 percent of Californians support the designation of public school districts as “sanctuary safe zones” to protect undocumented students and their families from federal immigration enforcement.

Story Date: April 17, 2018