Post by Oscar Knight on Dec 17, 2012 14:58:27 GMT -6
Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990
"reenacted the law with President Bill Clinton's signature."
GUN-FREE SCHOOL ZONES ACT OF 1990.
Gun-Free School Laws and Implications
December, 1995
The Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990
United States v. Lopez (1995)
U.S. Supreme Court
UNITED STATES v. LOPEZ, ___ U.S. ___ (1995)
UNITED STATES v. LOPEZ, ___ U.S. ___ (1995)
UNITED STATES, PETITIONER v. ALFONSO LOPEZ, JR.
CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT
No. 93-1260.
Argued November 8, 1994
Decided April 26, 1995
UNITED STATES v. LOPEZ, ___ U.S. ___ (1995)
UNITED STATES v. LOPEZ, ___ U.S. ___ (1995)
UNITED STATES, PETITIONER v. ALFONSO LOPEZ, JR.
CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT
No. 93-1260.
Argued November 8, 1994
Decided April 26, 1995
In United States v. Lopez (1995), the Supreme Court ruled that Congress had exceeded its constitutional authority under the Commerce Clause when it passed a law prohibiting gun possession in local school zones. The case arose out of the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990, which made it a federal offense "for any individual knowingly to possess a firearm at a place that the individual knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, is a school zone." Alfonso Lopez Jr., a high school senior, was convicted in a federal district court for knowingly possessing a concealed handgun and bullets at his San Antonio high school. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the decision, ruling that the law was beyond the reach of Congress's power under the Commerce Clause. The government appealed to the Supreme Court, which reviewed the case in 1994.