First things first, you should get a current copy of "Gun Laws of America" by Alan Korwin. It won't take the place of a lawyer, but it will help you understand the current law better. Here's the site, but you can often find the book at gun dealers:
http://www.bloomfieldpress.com/gloa.htm
Here's a quote from the update he webpublishes:
http://www.bloomfieldpress.com/gloaup.htm
Scroll down about four screens to "From The Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act For FY 1997 HR 3610; Sep. 30, 1996; Public Law 104-208" and click on "Gun Free School Zones Reenactment"
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Public Law 104-208 Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act For Fiscal Year 1997
Sec. 101(b) Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 1997
Section 657, Gun-Free School Zone.
THE GIST: Congress was rebuffed in its attempt to exercise police powers at the state level by the U.S. Supreme Court, when the court declared the 1991 Gun-Free School Zone law unconstitutional, in 1995. That law was reenacted, to the surprise of many observers, as an unnoticed add-on to a 2,000-page federal spending bill, in a form essentially identical to the one the Supreme Court overturned.
The law makes it a federal crime to knowingly have a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school. An exemption is granted to anyone willing to register with the government for a specified license to carry the firearm (most concealed-carry permits would qualify, most hunting licenses would not).
The prohibition does not apply to: 1-Firearms while on private property that is not part of the school grounds; 2-Any firearm that is unloaded and in a locked container; 3-Any firearm unloaded and locked in a firearms rack on a motor vehicle; 4-Possession of a firearm for use in an approved school program; 5-Possession under a contract with the school; 6-Possession by law enforcement officers in an official capacity; and 7-An unloaded firearm, while crossing school premises to public or private land open to hunting, if crossing the grounds is authorized by the school.
It is also illegal to fire a gun (or attempt to fire a gun), knowingly or with reckless disregard for safety, in a place you know is a school zone, with the following exceptions: 1-On private property that is not part of the school grounds; 2-As part of a program approved by the school; 3-Under contract with the school; 4-By law enforcement acting in an official capacity. Self defense is not mentioned, and presumably, a self-defense shooting in a school zone, unless on private property, would violate this law. States are not prohibited from passing their own laws.
America had 121,855 public and private schools as of 1994. In effect, this law criminalizes the actions of nearly anyone who travels in a populated area with a legally possessed firearm. As with its overturned predecessor, its affect on the very real problem of youth violence is unclear, and of course, any firearm used illegally in America, whether it is near a school or not, is already a serious crime with heavy penalties.
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Perhaps getting this book and showing the appropriate tesxt to the lawyer will help him understand the limits of the law. Be sure to download the update as well.
Hope this helps a bit,
Bobbalouie
