Gun Free School Zone
The Gun Free School Zone (GFSZ) law prohibits people from having guns within 1000 feet of any school, excluding within private property or if it's unloaded and inside a locked container. The GFSZ law also excludes people who have a carry permit. So, It appears anyone with a LTC is fine. This question isn't about carrying by those with LTC permits. It's a more general hunting/transporting question.
The federal GFSZ law doesn't exclude those non-license-holders who have an unloaded gun in their car, only those who have an unloaded gun in a locked container. So, let's say you're going hunting and you have your unloaded shotguns or rifles in soft-sided cases, and you stop at a donut shop within 1000 feet of a school. Or simply drive past a school. It seems to me you are violating the GFSZ law. I suppose a locked trunk could possibly qualify as a locked container, but what about someone in an SUV or pickup? Or someone who lays their guns on the back seat of their car?
I'm betting this happens a thousand times a day in PA in hunting season. Am I interpreting this wrong?
What if you are hunting in fields and get within 1000 feet of a school with your loaded gun? I'm sure this happens all the time, too. Heck, I've hunted that close to a school before (and before I had my carry license). Does the "private property" exclusion pertain to hunters in the woods within 1000 feet of a school?
Does anyone ever get busted for violating the GFSZ law?
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