Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) is like a number of Republicans who have taken “principled” stands against President Trump. They’ve learned, quickly and brutally, their principles don’t well align with Normal Americans nor with Trump who is doing what they elected him to do. Faced with the probability of being primaried, they suddenly remember being a card-carrying member of the stupid wing of the Republican Party isn’t conducive to a career-long ride on the public gravy train. To make amends, they equally suddenly become individual rights advocates in the hope their forays into Democrat policy will be forgotten.
So, Massie has introduced a bill to repeal the 1990 Gun Free School Zones Act. The act was a feel-good attempt to “do something” about school safety. It was an overreach of the Commerce Clause that made possessing a gun within 1000 feet of a K-12 school a felony. Suddenly, people living near schools or merely driving past, were instant felons.
Graphic: X Post
Fortunately, the Supreme Court read the Constitution:
In 1995, the Supreme Court said the law was not a valid exercise of the federal government's power to regulate interstate commerce.
"The Act neither regulates a commercial activity nor contains a requirement that the possession be connected in any way to interstate commerce," Chief Justice William Rehnquist wrote. "If we were to accept the Government's arguments, we are hard pressed to posit any activity by an individual that Congress is without power to regulate."
Congress slightly reworded the law and the Federal Government said it really didn’t intend to enforce it, which has largely been true to date. One wonders why, if government doesn’t intend to enforce it, it was written in the first place and why it wasn’t repealed in 1995?
Even so, states have allowed school staff and others to carry concealed weapons on school grounds—Wyoming is the most recent addition to that sane company—and the Feds haven’t interfered, even when Democrats have held power. Until Democrats went full crazy—never go full crazy—even they understood the Second Amendment is a third rail of politics. Should they regain the White House and both houses of Congress, all bets are likely off, which makes Massie’s gesture a long-overdue necessity.
If it’s so necessary, why didn’t he, or other Republicans, think of it long ago? That’s why Republicans daily earn the epithet: “The Stupid Party.”
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) is pushing a repeal of the Gun-Free School Zones Act (1990) in order to make it easier for law-abiding teachers, faculty, and others, to be armed to fend off would-be attackers on school campuses.
The Gun-Free School Zones Act was put in place by President George H.W. Bush (R), barring the possession of a firearm in a “school zone” and thereby creating myriad gun-free soft targets in places filled with defenseless children, teachers, and school staff.
Massie wants to see the Gun-Free School Zones Act repealed as a way of removing the soft target moniker from schools around the country.
Mass shooters actively seek “gun-free” zones for their attacks. Such free-fire disarmament zones give them the maximum time and opportunity to kill before they kill themselves. With virtually no exceptions, the police have had no role in stopping school attackers. That choice was true of the Minneapolis shooter:
It turns out that it wasn’t an accident that attack in Minneapolis occurred at a gun-free zone. The murderer’s manifesto makes it clear that he purposely picked a gun-free zone. The murderer wrote his manifesto in Russian, but here is the relevant translation.
“I recently heard a rumor that James Holmes, the Aurora theater shooter, may have chosen venues that were ‘gun-free zones.’ I would probably aim the same way . . . Holmes wanted to make sure his victims would be unarmed. That’s why I and many others like schools so much. At least for me, I am focused on them. Adam Lanza [the Newtown killer] is my reason.”
He also wrote:
But criminals with [mass murderous] intentions are not going to follow rules!
As mentally ill as Robert Westman was, even he understood what Democrats ignore. And now, worried about reelection, so does Rep. Massie.
Even if the Gun Free School Zones Act isn’t repealed, a growing number of states will continue to recognize the value of arming school staff and eliminating gun free zones. Repealing the Act will codify reality and remove an anti-liberty/gun temptation for future Democrat administrations. For those reasons alone, repeal is essential.
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Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, life-long athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.