Have Republican efforts to eliminate gun-free zones around schools progressed?
Republican efforts at federal and state levels to eliminate gun-free school zones haven't progressed, despite Trump's support for the idea in his 2016 campaign.
A Republican congressman introduced the latest repeal effort in 2019. Wyoming legislators introduced a bill in February that proposed to repeal gun-free zones in the state, challenging federal authority.
In 1990 Congress imposed criminal penalties for the possession or use of firearms in school zones. Exceptions were made for school programs and law enforcement officers. In 2020, Democrats in the House proposed a bill expanding the zones to include colleges and universities and eliminating existing exceptions.
Research on the impact of gun-free zones, around schools or other sites, is inconclusive, according to a review by RAND, a policy think tank.
