DRUG-FREE, GUN-FREE SCHOOL ZONE SIGNS CONTINUE TO CONVEY AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO ALL

You can see the bright school bus-colored signs near area schools: Drug free, gun free school zones.

The signs boast that violators will face severe federal, state and local criminal penalties.

A series of gun laws enacted by Congress in 1990 included the Gun-Free School Zones Act, which encouraged schools to post the signs. In Cape Girardeau, the signs were posted in 1992. In 1995, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the gun limitations was unconstitutional.

But the signs remain posted. They still provide a stern reminder that state statutes ban guns from being carried into a school, courthouse, church, election precinct or government building. Area schools also practice a zero-tolerance policy on guns in school -- whether the firearms are loaded or not.

In light of the tragic school shootings in recent years, the signs continue to provide a timely reminder.

While they may not stop someone bent on bringing a gun to school, the signs may help others to think twice before they bring drugs or guns on school grounds.