A Short History of Bans on Possession
of Firearms in Federal Facilities

Laws banning the carry or possession of weapons in government buildings are a very late addition to the United States of America. At the time of the ratification of the Bill of Rights, including the Second Amendment, there were only three places where the possession and carry of weapons were banned with some regularity. Those were: Court rooms while court was in session; legislative chambers where governmental bodies were involved in their legislative duties; and polling places on election day. There were no bans on carrying or possessing weapons in most public buildings most of the time. From the Supreme Court Bruen opinion, bold added p. 27:

Although the historical record yields relatively few 18th- and 19th century "sensitive places" where weapons were altogether prohibited—e.g., legislative assemblies, polling places, and courthouses—we are also aware of no disputes regarding the lawfulness of such prohibitions.

It wasn't until the 1960s that the federal government banned the possession of firearms in government buildings. This was made clear in the arguments put forward in the United States v Ayala case. The case is about whether a federal law banning the possession and/or carry of weapons in post offices violates the rights protected by the Second Amendment. The district court found the post office ban to be unconstitutional. The case is being appealed. .....