{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-527.070","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 527.070","heading":"Unlawful possession of a weapon on school property -- Posting of sign --","body":"Exemptions.\n(1) A person is guilty of unlawful possession of a weapon on school property when he\nknowingly deposits, possesses, or carries, whether openly or concealed, fo r\npurposes other than instructional or school -sanctioned ceremonial purposes, or the\npurposes permitted in subsection (3) of this section, any firearm or other deadly\nweapon, destructive device, or booby trap device in any public or private school\nbuilding or bus, on any public or private school campus, grounds, recreation area,\nathletic field, or any other property owned, used, or operated by any board of\neducation, school, board of trustees, regents, or directors for the administration of\nany public or private educational institution. The provisions of this section shall not\napply to institutions of postsecondary or higher education.\n(2) Each chief administrator of a public or private school shall display about the school\nin prominent locations, including,  but not limited to, sports arenas, gymnasiums,\nstadiums, and cafeterias, a sign at least six (6) inches high and fourteen (14) inches\nwide stating:\nUNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A WEAPON ON SCHOOL\nPROPERTY IN KENTUCKY IS A FELONY PUNISHABLE\nBY A MAXIMUM OF FIVE (5) YEARS IN PRISON AND A\nTEN THOUSAND DOLLAR ($10,000) FINE.\nFailure to post the sign shall not relieve any person of liability under this section.\n(3) The provisions of this section prohibiting the unlawful possession of a weapon on\nschool property shall not apply to:\n(a) An adult who is not a pupil of any secondary school and who possesses a\nfirearm, if the firearm is contained within a vehicle operated by the adult and\nis not removed from the vehicle, except for a purpose permitted herein, or\nbrandished by the adult, or by any other person acting with expressed or\nimplied consent of the adult, while the vehicle is on school property;\n(b) Any pupils who are members of the reserve officers training corps or pupils\nenrolled in a course of instruction or me mbers of a school club or team, to the\nextent they are required to carry arms or weapons in the discharge of their\nofficial class or team duties;\n(c) Any peace officer or police officer authorized to carry a concealed weapon\npursuant to KRS 527.020;\n(d) Persons employed by the Armed Forces of the United States or members of\nthe National Guard or militia when required in the discharge of their official\nduties to carry arms or weapons;\n(e) Civil officers of the United States in the discharge of their official  duties.\nNothing in this section shall be construed as to allow any person to carry a\nconcealed weapon into a public or private elementary or secondary school\nbuilding;\n(f) Any other persons, including, but not limited to, exhibitors of historical\ndisplays, who have been authorized to carry a firearm by the board of\neducation or board of trustees of the public or private institution;\n(g) A person hunting during the lawful hun ting season on lands owned by any\npublic or private educational institution and designated as open to hunting by\nthe board of education or board of trustees of the educational institution;\n(h) A person possessing unloaded hunting weapons while traversing t he grounds\nof any public or private educational institution for the purpose of gaining\naccess to public or private lands open to hunting with the intent to hunt on the\npublic or private lands, unless the lands of the educational institution are\nposted prohibiting the entry; or\n(i) A person possessing guns or knives when conducting or attending a \"gun and\nknife show\" when the program has been approved by the board of education\nor board of trustees of the educational institution.\n(4) Unlawful possession of a weapon on school property is a Class D felony.","path":["KRS Chapter 527"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=48899","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T21:00:04Z","sha256":"fd0ff338d72e9843df72ac3cf6030339845d64469137b11dab464972bb04afa8","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-527.060","next":"us-ky/krs-527.080"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}