House Bill No. 29

Introduced By bohlinger

A Bill for an Act entitled: An Act making it a criminal offense for a person to possess, carry, or store a weapon in a school building and for a parent or guardian to permit a minor to possess, carry, or store a weapon in a school building; providing for a penalty; providing an exception for law enforcement personnel; permitting trustees authority to grant permission to possess, carry, or store a weapon; authorizing seizure and forfeiture or return of the weapon to the lawful owner; defining "weapon" and "school building"; and providing an immediate effective date.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Montana:

Section 1.  Possession or allowing possession of weapon in school building -- exceptions -- penalties -- seizure and forfeiture or return authorized -- definitions. (1) A person commits the offense of possession of a weapon in a school building if the person purposely and knowingly possesses, carries, or stores a weapon in a school building.

(2) A parent or guardian of a minor commits the offense of allowing possession of a weapon in a school building if the parent or guardian purposely and knowingly permits the minor to possess, carry, or store a weapon in a school building.

(3) (a) Subsection (1) does not apply to law enforcement personnel.

(b) The trustees of a district may grant persons and entities advance permission to possess, carry, or store a weapon in a school building.

(4) (a) A person convicted under this section shall be fined an amount not to exceed $500, imprisoned in the county jail for a term not to exceed 6 months, or both. The court shall consider alternatives to incarceration that are available in the community.

(b) (i) A weapon in violation of this section may be seized and, upon conviction of the person possessing or permitting possession of the weapon, may be forfeited to the state or returned to the lawful owner.

(ii) If a weapon seized under the provisions of this section is subsequently determined to have been stolen or otherwise taken from the owner's possession without permission, the weapon must be returned to the lawful owner.

(5) As used in this section:

(a) "school building" means all buildings owned or leased by a local school district that are used for instruction or for student activities. The term does not include a home school provided for in 20-5-109.

(b) "weapon" means any type of firearm, a knife with a blade 4 or more inches in length, a sword, a straight razor, a throwing star, nun-chucks, or brass or other metal knuckles.

Section 2.  Codification instruction. [Section 1] is intended to be codified as an integral part of Title 45, chapter 8, part 3, and the provisions of Title 45, chapter 8, part 3, apply to [section 1].

Section 3.  Effective date. [This act] is effective on passage and approval.

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