Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990, 18 U.S.C. § 922(q)

E56337
United States federal statute criminal law statute firearms regulation

The Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990, codified at 18 U.S.C. § 922(q), is a federal statute that criminalized possessing a firearm in a school zone and became notable when the Supreme Court in United States v. Lopez struck it down as exceeding Congress’s Commerce Clause authority.

Jump to: Surface forms Statements Referenced by

Observed surface forms (2)

Surface form Occurrences
Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 3
Gun-Free School Zones Act litigation 1

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf United States federal statute ⓘ
criminal law statute ⓘ
firearms regulation ⓘ
affectedProvision 18 U.S.C. § 922(q)(1) (original version) ⓘ
amendedVersion 18 U.S.C. § 922(q)(2) (as revised after Lopez) ⓘ
appliesNationwide true ⓘ
appliesTo elementary schools ⓘ
secondary schools ⓘ
challengedIn United States v. Lopez ⓘ
surface form: United States v. Lopez, 514 U.S. 549 (1995)
citationFormat Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990, 18 U.S.C. § 922(q) self-linksurface differs ⓘ
citedAs GFSZA ⓘ
codifiedAs 18 U.S.C. § 922(q) ⓘ
commerceNexusRequirement as amended, firearm must have moved in or otherwise affect interstate or foreign commerce ⓘ
constitutionalIssue scope of Congress’s Commerce Clause power ⓘ
containsException firearm on private property not part of school grounds ⓘ
firearm that is unloaded and in a locked container or locked firearms rack ⓘ
individual licensed to possess firearm by the state ⓘ
law enforcement officers acting in official capacity ⓘ
use of a firearm in a school zone as part of a program approved by a school ⓘ
use of a firearm in accordance with a contract with a school ⓘ
defines school zone ⓘ
enactedBy United States Congress ⓘ
enforcementAgency Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ⓘ
United States Department of Justice ⓘ
hasTitle Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990, 18 U.S.C. § 922(q) self-link ⓘ
surface form: Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990
heldUnconstitutionalIn United States v. Lopez ⓘ
jurisdiction United States government ⓘ
surface form: United States federal government
language English ⓘ
legislativeType public law ⓘ
locatedInTitle Title 18 of the United States Code ⓘ
maximumPenalty up to 5 years imprisonment (original version) ⓘ
notableCase United States v. Lopez ⓘ
partOf Crime Control Act of 1990 ⓘ
penaltyType federal criminal penalties ⓘ
policyGoal reduce gun violence in and around schools ⓘ
postLopezAction Congress amended statute to add interstate-commerce nexus ⓘ
primaryCitation 18 U.S.C. § 922(q) ⓘ
prohibits knowingly possessing a firearm in a school zone ⓘ
reasonForInvalidation exceeded Congress’s authority under the Commerce Clause ⓘ
regulates possession of firearms in school zones ⓘ
relatedTo Commerce Clause ⓘ
surface form: Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution

federalism in the United States ⓘ
schoolZoneDefinition in or on the grounds of a school ⓘ
within 1,000 feet of the grounds of a school ⓘ
signedBy George H. W. Bush ⓘ
subjectMatter firearms possession ⓘ
school safety ⓘ
yearEnacted 1990 ⓘ

Referenced by (6)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Alfonso Lopez, Jr. → associatedWith → Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990, 18 U.S.C. § 922(q) ⓘ
subject surface form: Alfonso Lopez Jr.
this entity surface form: Gun-Free School Zones Act litigation
Alfonso Lopez, Jr. → challenged → Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990, 18 U.S.C. § 922(q) ⓘ
subject surface form: Alfonso Lopez Jr.
this entity surface form: Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990
Alfonso Lopez, Jr. → chargedUnder → Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990, 18 U.S.C. § 922(q) ⓘ
subject surface form: Alfonso Lopez Jr.
this entity surface form: Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990
Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990, 18 U.S.C. § 922(q) → citationFormat → Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990, 18 U.S.C. § 922(q) self-linksurface differs ⓘ
subject surface form: Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990
Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990, 18 U.S.C. § 922(q) → hasTitle → Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990, 18 U.S.C. § 922(q) self-link ⓘ
subject surface form: Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990
this entity surface form: Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990
United States v. Lopez → lawStruckDown → Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990, 18 U.S.C. § 922(q) ⓘ