tinhorn
NES Member
So I follow a link to a page where I read:
My non-lawyer mind interprets this to mean that if I'm driving past Sister Agnes's School for Wayward Girls with a loaded gun, I'm in violation of federal law. Can this be correct? (I've been wrong before.)
Bonus questions:
Are Sister Agnes's parochial school grounds considered private property?
Is a home school considered to be a private school? It appears that being ON private school property is okay, but being present in the private school's “buffer zone” isn't mentioned.
This is just federal-level confusion. I haven't even started on MA-level confusion yet.
Federal Gun-Free School Zones Act
Congress passed the Federal Gun Free School Zones Act of 1990 (GFSZA) and it was amended in 1995 to prevent guns being carried near schools. It states that one cannot knowingly possess a firearm in a school zone. “School zone” is defined as “in, or on the grounds of, a public, parochial or private school; or within 1,000 feet of the grounds of a public, parochial or private school.” It includes all public roads and sidewalks within that 1,000-foot buffer zone. It does not apply on private property, to a licensed concealed firearm permittee or an unloaded weapon in a locked container/rack. It should be noted that the firearm permittee exemption only applies in the state that issued your permit/license, not any states with reciprocity.
18 U.S. Code § 922(q)
My non-lawyer mind interprets this to mean that if I'm driving past Sister Agnes's School for Wayward Girls with a loaded gun, I'm in violation of federal law. Can this be correct? (I've been wrong before.)
Bonus questions:
Are Sister Agnes's parochial school grounds considered private property?
Is a home school considered to be a private school? It appears that being ON private school property is okay, but being present in the private school's “buffer zone” isn't mentioned.
This is just federal-level confusion. I haven't even started on MA-level confusion yet.