The purpose of the law is not to protect children, but to make it impossible for ordinary citizens to carry a gun in a regular way. 1,000 foot “school zones overlap in most cities and towns, making it impossible to move about without intersecting a “gun free school zone”. The law was ruled unconstitutional once, and should be repealed.
http://gunwatch.blogspot.com/2012/12/disastrous-gun-law-sparked-school.html
That is what is so maddening. It is obvious that the law wouldn’t work and is for curbing guns from law-abiding citizens. It certainly wouldn’t have stopped the Sandy Hook killer.