New Jersey is already one of the strictest states in the Union when it comes to law abiding citizens and firearms. Yet, still has lots of shootings. And, I’ll be perfectly honest, I do not mind some of these proposals, at least not if they were tweaked a bit. But, they aren’t going to stop the criminals who use guns unlawfully, and are often in possession of firearms unlawfully
New Jersey could require all handgun ammunition sales to be recorded and compel many people with firearms in the state to undergo regular safety training.
Those are just a couple of new rules on guns proposed in four bills that have been introduced in the state legislature are intended to close loopholes and keep firearms out of the hands of people who aren’t supposed to have one, backers say.
“These new bills will ensure that law enforcement, state entities, and gun store owners will work together to reduce gun crimes and gun trafficking in our communities,†state Assemblyman Louis Greenwald, D-Camden, said.
So, what are we looking at?
One bill (A5453) would make it a second-degree crime to act as a straw purchaser and it would make it a third-degree crime to transport, sell or possess a firearm without a federally licensed serial number.
It’s already a federal crime to make a straw purchase. This is really about doing away with so-called ghost guns, ones built by citizens themselves. BTW, there doesn’t seem to be any sort of shenanigans going on with this legislation, it’s rather straight forward.
Another measure is a bill (A5454) that would add convictions of crimes such as carjacking or making terroristic threats to the list of crimes that ban people from buying firearms in the state.
The actual list is “aggravated assault, arson, burglary, escape, extortion, homicide, kidnapping, robbery, aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, bias intimidation in violation”, as well as the above and a few others, would get citizens banned. I don’t think anyone would argue with any, except, wait, Thought Crimes, ie, saying mean things. Also, it would make it almost impossible for anyone who was ever committed to a mental institution to get a firearm, particularly if it happened in another state. And most people who have committed drug offenses.
There’s also a bill (A5452) that would require people to renew their firearm identification card every four years and show that they have completed a gun safety training course each time they renew the license. Active or retired police officers and former members of the military, however, would be exempt from the rule.
I’m on the fence on this. Owning a firearm may be a a Right, but, it is also a responsibility, and people should handle them correctly. Of course, you know this is a way to take people’s gun rights away in a place like NJ.
Finally, the last measure (A5454) would require places that sell handgun ammunition to track their ammunition sales and report them to the State Police. They would also be required to make sure people purchasing handgun ammunition are 21 years old, which is the legal age for buying a handgun.
So, what happens if it is an under-21 who is going hunting? Will the person, usually a parent or older family member, get in trouble? The legislation suggests it. One thing I wouldn’t mind is the notion of restricting the sale of ammo to people who do not have a federal backgrounds check for the weapon in question that the ammo is for. This could potentially limit ammo for stolen/unlawfully possessed firearms. But, we all know that this is really about tracking what ammo a law abiding citizen has.
That said, what part of this would stop the use of firearms by people who would use them illegally?
Of course, the NJ Dems are perfectly fine with protecting illegal aliens. Even the criminal ones.
