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In Burlington Vermont yesterday, Donald Trump had another packed rally. It seems as if it is the only kind that he has. In the speech, near the end, the Donald starts talking about the Second Amendment. He says that the 65 year old woman who defended herself in New Hampshire said that she is going to vote for Trump. He then went on to say that gun free zones are bait for bad guys. He talked about how ridiculous it was that our military bases are gun free zones. He mentioned that we have to stop schools from being gun free zones, and that on day one of his presidency, he would end the gun free zones in the military.
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump says he would eliminate gun-free zones in schools on his first day if he's elected to the White House.
There is only one problem with that report. It is not what Donald Trump said. In context, Trump was talking about gun free zones on military bases. Then he mentions schools, and then he says that he will get rid of gun free zones on military bases on his first day as President. From Trump:
I will get rid of gun free zones on schools. You have to. And on Military bases, my first day, it gets signed.
If you listen to the speech in context it is clear that Trump wants to get rid of the gun free zones on schools. It is also clear that he says on his first day as president, he will get rid of gun free zones in the military.
The President cannot unilateraly eliminate the federal law banning guns from within a thousand feed of a school, even though that law was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in U.S. v. Lopez in 1995. Bill Clinton pushed through a slightly modified law to replace it the same year. The Supreme Court has not ruled on the Bill Clinton version of the law, because it has not been challened in court. Federal prosecutors are very careful not to prosecute cases that would be a good test case for the law.
But Trump could push for a repeal of the insane Gun Free School zone law. If he had a Republican House and Senate, he could likely get the law repealed. It has always been a supremely stupid law, ruled unconstitutional once already, whose only purpose is to make carrying a gun through any urban area legally difficult.
Trump may not be able to repeal the Clinton Gun Free School Zone act on his first day in office, but he indicates that it is bad policy and should be repealed.
As far as gun free zones on military bases, as Commander in Chief, President Trump would indeed be able to sign an order to stop those policies on our military bases on day one.