§ 11-47-60. Possession of firearms on school grounds.
(a)(1) No person shall have in his or her possession any firearm or other weapons on school
grounds.
(2) For the purposes of this section, "school grounds� means the property of a public
or private elementary or secondary school or in those portions of any building, stadium,
or other structure on school grounds that were, at the time of the violation, being
used for an activity sponsored by or through a school in this state or while riding
school-provided transportation.
(3) Every person violating the provisions of this section shall, upon conviction, be sentenced
to imprisonment for not less than one year nor more than five (5) years, or shall
be fined not less than five hundred dollars ($500) nor more than five thousand dollars
($5,000).
(4) Any juvenile adjudicated delinquent pursuant to this statute shall, in addition to
whatever other penalties are imposed by the family court, lose his or her license
to operate a motor vehicle for up to six (6) months. If the juvenile has not yet obtained
the necessary age to obtain a license, the court may impose as part of its sentence
a delay in his or her right to obtain the license when eligible to do so, for a period
of up to six (6) months.
(b) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any person who shall be exempt pursuant
to the provisions of § 11-47-9, who is a "peace officerâ€� as defined in § 12-7-21; a retired law enforcement officer permitted under § 11-47-18(b) or pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §§ 926B and 926C; or an individual in accordance with a contract entered into between a school and
the individual or an employer of the individual to provide security services to the
school; or to the following activities when the activities are officially recognized
and sanctioned by the educational institution:
(1) Firearm instruction and/or safety courses;
(2) Government-sponsored military-related programs such as ROTC;
(3) Interscholastic shooting and/or marksmanship events;
(4) Military history and firearms collection courses and/or programs; and
(5) The use of blank guns in theatrical and/or athletic events.
(c) The provisions of this section shall not apply to colleges, universities, or junior
colleges.
(d) The provisions of this section shall not apply to the possession of a firearm that
is not loaded and is in a locked container or a locked rack that is in a motor vehicle.