The idea was viewed as radical by many when National Rifle Association head Wayne LaPierre advanced it after the Sandy Hook shooting, but it has continued to gain momentum, especially after it came out of President Trump’s mouth on the campaign trail.
Back in January of last year, President Trump promised: “I will get rid of gun-free zones on schools, and — you have to — and on military bases. My first day, it gets signed, okay? My first day. There’s no more gun-free zones.” President Trump has since never wavered on this conviction and proudly flaunted his endorsement of the NRA on several occasions.
On Tuesday, Donald Trump’s pick for Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, received fierce criticism from gun grabbers for saying that she would support then President-Elect Donald Trump if he moves to end gun-free zones around schools. Despite strong resistance from the Left, all signs point to the fact that she will be approved.
While Trump does not have complete power to do this on day one, House Republicans having already filed two proposals for gutting the 1990 Gun-Free School Zones Act.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) has introduced a bill that would repeal the law. Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) introduced a separate bill that would establish national reciprocity for state concealed-pistol permits and give state and local officials the authority to create rules. Both bills have advanced to the House Judiciary subcommittee. As a California resident, I am personally rooting for Rep. Massie’s bill.
The Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 bans the possession of guns in and around schools while allowing states and localities to make exceptions for some firearms owners. While this was supposed to prevent gun violence in schools, it has done just the opposite. Columbine, Sandy Hook, Isla Vista and the UCC shootings all happened after this was signed into law.
Even outside of schools, statistics also show that gun-free zones simply don’t work. According to the Crime Prevention Research Center, from the 1950’s through mid-2016, 98.4 percent of mass shootings have occurred on gun-free zones, with just 1.6 percent occurring where citizens are allowed to carry firearms.
Gun free zones are counterproductive. The metal signs all around gun-free zones send a clear message of defenselessness. As President Trump rightly said, criminals see it as “bait.” Armed guards on campuses can help, but most schools can’t afford to provide the level of security necessary to protect all of their students, and the government isn’t allocating funds to them for this purpose.
More than half of America has been brainwashed by the media into believing that gun control is the answer for safer schools, even though mass shootings and common sense contradict it. They have been led to believe that gun-free zones are “safe” zones, when in reality, there is no such thing as a “safe” space in today’s world.
While any action by Congress and the Trump administration to repeal the Gun Free School Zones Act will face immediate, knee-jerk criticism and resistance across the country, schools will soon adapt and parents will grow to realize that laws and signs don’t keep criminals away—action does. Teachers and school officials need to have the resources and ability to fight back and defend their campuses from gun violence.
We can’t expect criminals to obey the law. They never do.
The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the position of Guns.com.
