Gun-Free Schools Act
Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Date
2018
Department/School
Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology
Publication Title
The Encyclopedia of Juvenile Delinquency and Justice
Abstract
The Gun-Free Schools Act (GFSA) represents the first federal initiative in the United States explicitly designed to address school gun violence by targeting student behaviors, including involvement of the justice system in school discipline. This entry explores the roots of the GFSA and discusses how schools have interpreted and implemented its requirements. Included in this discussion are controversial “zero tolerance” school disciplinary policies, which have been associated with the passage of the GFSA. The impacts of zero tolerance policies have not been felt uniformly across all demographic groups, and this entry describes some of the social inequities that appear to have been exacerbated and/or facilitated by various interpretations of the GFSA. The entry concludes by briefly noting recommendations that have been made with respect to interpreting the GFSA and zero tolerance school disciplinary policies.
Recommended Citation
Barrett, K. L., & Brooks, J. M. (2018). Gun-Free Schools Act. In The encyclopedia of juvenile delinquency and justice. John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118524275.ejdj0012
Comments
K. L. Barrett is a faculty member in EMU's Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology.
*J. M. Brooks is an EMU student.