The answer is they all occurred in government facilities where the private possession of firearms was prohibited.
In Washington, unconstitutional legislation is commonplace. But sometimes unconstitutional laws can have deadly consequences. The so-called “gun free school zones act,” written by radical anti-gun Senator Heb Kohl, is one such law.
Slammed through in 1996 as an amendment to a giant last-minute must-pass appropriations bill, the legislation disarmed school staff and other adults – leaving elementary and secondary school children defenseless to serial killers.
It also made it virtually impossible to drive your car down the street with your gun inside without violating the law by creating a 1000-foot so-called “gun-free zone” around every public and private school in the country.
“Gun free,” that is, except for the criminals.
No one – including politicians, the police, or the individual citizen – can predict where the next deranged serial killer will attack. And yet politicians continue to create “criminal safe zones” such as schools, churches, parks, restaurants that serve alcohol, etc., where the law-abiding are disarmed.
The net impact of turning schools, in particular, into defenseless targets for serial killers has been dramatic.
When many people over the age of 40 were growing up, ROTC students would march up-and-down high school campuses with their semi-automatic M1’s – and no one would think anything of it. Shooting clubs on school grounds were also not uncommon.
But within a couple a years of the enactment of the Kohl amendment, two disaffected teenagers walked into Columbine High School secure in the knowledge that they would be the only ones in the school who were armed.
And, of course, Columbine triggered a slew of copycat episodes – laying a mounting string of innocent casualties at the feet of Herb Kohl and his misbegotten legislation.
It’s time to say NO to criminal safe zones. And a great place to start is the blatantly unconstitutional gun free school zones act.
Thankfully, Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) agrees and has introduced legislation to do just that.
Rep. Paul recently introduced the “Citizens Protection Act of 2011” (H.R. 2613), which will repeal the Kohl amendment and thus remove the federally created criminal safety zones.
Rep. Paul is one of the few members of Congress who respects the Constitution and who actually introduces legislation to restore federalism. And, unlike some legislators, Paul has a history of forcing the House to vote on his pro-gun proposals, thus putting other congressmen on record.
GOA is proud to stand with Rep. Paul in the effort to repeal the unconstitutional gun free zones law. For anyone who cares about liberty, now is the time to work on getting the 218 votes we need to pass this important piece of legislation.
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"The danger to America is not Barack Obama but a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him with the Presidency........... Blaming the prince of the fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince. The Republic can survive a Barack Obama, who is, after all, merely a fool. It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools such as those who made him their president."
I think he's a wacko on lots of issues....but on this, I would support him. I believe his real strength lies in his ideas on domestic policy.....too bad....this legislation has the same chances as a snowball in hell.
This demonstrates that nobody can be wrong all the time.
But on a side note. My husband says he'll check and make sure if he can find the time, but he thinks the school zone weapons ban was overturned by the Supremes. The Congress used the Commerce Clause and the Supremes said it didn't apply. Congress threatened to pass another one using a different justification, but he doesn't think they ever got around to it.
I do know, having taken the course that Michigan's concealed carry law permits you to take a gun on to school property as long as you leave it in your car. You can't legally take it into the school on your person. They didn't mention anything about a federal law. I have seen signs around some schools that it is a weapon and drug free zone. Yeah, sure. That really affected all the dopers smoking joints behind my high school between classes. Really scared them.
So Ron Paul may be off base here.
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Proud parents of our own "Daddy's Little Girls"
I heard Jesus He drank wine and I bet we'd get along just fine.
The original "gun free schools zone" act was a part of the Crime Control Act of 1990. In 1995 the "gun free schools zone" part was shot down by SCOTUS. Kohl pushed through the new improved "gun free schools zones" act. The new improved version has been ruled good by several federal court decisions.
Yes the act was revised and has been upheld by some federal courts, but there are loads of exceptions.
Here's a big one:
The Act doesn't apply;
"ii) if the individual possessing the firearm is licensed to do so by the State in which the school zone is located or a political subdivision of the State, and the law of the State or political subdivision requires that, before an individual obtains such a license, the law enforcement authorities of the State or political subdivision verify that the individual is qualified under law to receive the license"
There are a whole lot of other exceptions including someone living in a school zone, or having to pass through a school zone to get to a hunting area, and so on. If you can't find an exception, you just aren't thinking.
Obviously, the purpose of the statute is to permit someone shooting someone on school property, like Columbine, etc., to be charged with a federal crime.
That's okay with me.
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Proud parents of our own "Daddy's Little Girls"
I heard Jesus He drank wine and I bet we'd get along just fine.
In OK lots of school kids park their trucks on school property with guns inside. There's no problem so long as the vehicle is locked and the gun is out of sight.
Ron Paul introduces pro gun legislation.
