FAQ

The main premise of the ordinance is that military recruiting is a threat to youth, and that those who are considered too young to vote are also too young to be urged to enlist in the military.

Doesn’t the ordinance violate the First Amendment rights of recruiters?

The ordinance states that, “No person who is employed by or an agent of the United States government shall,…in the execution of his or her job duties,… recruit any person under the age of eighteen…” The government does not have free speech rights. Only the people do, and on-duty recruiters are, in essence, the government.

Doesn’t the Ordinance violate “No Child Left Behind” and threaten federal school funding?

“No Child Left Behind” allows federal funding to be cut if local school boards restrict recruiter access to schools; it says nothing about people voting to protect youth from military recruiting.

Federal law trumps local law, so why bother passing this ordinance?

The ordinance will likely be challenged by the federal government on the grounds of preemption, but when the federal government is destructive of our rights or threatens the welfare of our youth, we must challenge its authority.

The federal government sets no lower age limit below which recruiters may not contact kids and promote military enlistment. We have the right to enforce community standards, and we believe that eighteen is the logical and proper age, below which kids should not be targeted by recruiters.