United States v. Lopez was a case decided on Apr 26, 1995, by the United States Supreme Court. It involved a high school student's conviction for bringing a
concealed weapon to his school and the constitutionality of the Gun-Free School
Zones Act of 1990.
In brief: On March 10, 1992, 12th-grade student Alfonso Lopez brought a
concealed .38-caliber handgun and five bullets to his high school, where he was

arrested based on an anonymous tip. A federal district court sentenced him to six
months in prison followed by two years' parole for violating the Gun-Free School
Zones Act of 1990. Lopez appealed his conviction, which was reversed by the
United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. The Supreme Court then granted
certiorari review and ruled 5-4 to affirm the Court of Appeals' ruling that the act was
unconstitutional.
The issue: Was the Gun-Free School Zones Act, which drew its authority from the
federal power to regulate interstate commerce, constitutional?
The decision: The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the act, which claimed to draw
authority from the federal government's power to regulate interstate commerce,
overstepped the boundaries of that power. The majority opinion explained that the
possession of firearms in schools did not fit the definition of interstate commerce,
and so the law was unconstitutional.

How does this statement exemplify a limit on the power of the federal gov?