Safe Students Act

Key Points

• This bill would completely repeal the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990, which currently makes it a federal crime to possess a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school. The repeal would remove the federal prohibition and its associated criminal penalties.
• The bill strips out Section 922(q) of the federal criminal code, which is the specific provision that bans guns near schools, along with related definitions and penalty provisions.
• Without the federal law, whether guns are allowed near schools would depend entirely on state and local laws. Some states have their own gun-free school zone laws that would remain in effect, while others rely heavily on the federal rule. This could create a patchwork of very different rules across the country.
• The bill was introduced by Rep. Massie and has 10 Republican cosponsors, including Reps. Greene, Boebert, Gosar, Roy, and Perry. It has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee but faces an uncertain path forward given it lacks any bipartisan support.
• The bill also cleans up related parts of federal law by removing definitions tied to gun-free school zones (like 'school zone' and 'school') and renumbering remaining provisions so the code stays consistent after the repeal.