Nov 18, 2021
On this episode of the Resistance Library Podcast, Sam and Dave
discuss federal gun control in America. Mass shootings at schools
are among the most traumatic events in modern-day
America. These
tragic incidents receive wall-to-wall media coverage and spark
heated political debate.
Many contend that these shootings are the consequence of the U.S.
not having adequate gun control measures. Staunch gun rights
advocates offer an alternative perspective to this issue. Indeed,
these incidents should not be taken lightly. But there’s more to
the story than just regulating guns.
In America, most schools are
“gun-free”
zones, where the possession or carry of firearms are generally
prohibited. However, this is not a local policy coincidence, but
rather the product of federal policy. This started in 1990, when
Republican president George H.W. Bish signed the Gun-Free School
Zones Act
(GFSZA)
into law. Originally sponsored by then Delaware Senator Joe Biden,
the GFZA strictly prohibited people from carrying firearms within a
one-thousand-foot radius of public, private, and parochial
elementary and high schools.
The passage of this law was met with pushback. In 1995, the Supreme
Court ruled in
United States v. Lopez
that the 1990 GFSZA was unconstitutional, due to the fact that the
law’s handgun ban near schools did not have a substantial impact on
interstate commerce. As a result, the 1990 GFSZA was re-written to
only apply to guns that were moved through interstate
commerce.
Pro-gun activists argue that the GFSZA has made schools vulnerable
to deranged murderers, who recognized notable security flaws and
tightly concentrated venues that allow for considerable
casualities. Famous gun researcher John Lott found that 98 percent
of mass shootings have taken place in gun-free zones since
1950.
There have been attempts to repeal the 1990 GFSZA in Congress, with
Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie leading the charge on multiple
occasions. In 2019, Massie introduced the Safe Students Act, which
would repeal the 1990 GFSZA. In Massie’s words,
“Gun-free
school zones are ineffective. They make people less safe by
inviting criminals into target-rich, no-risk environments. Gun-free
zones prevent law-abiding citizens from protecting themselves, and
create vulnerable populations that are targeted by criminals.”
Massie has introduced similar legislation in the past, but has not
received much support on the issue.
Some states like Florida have recently responded by passing
measures to allow for armed teachers in educational facilities.
These efforts represent a more localized approach to solving this
issue, especially when considering that the federal government has
not really made a concerted effort to reform the 1990
GFSZA.
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