Early last week, Senate No. 1304, sponsored by State Senator John Girgenti (D-35), passed out of the State Senate with a 30 to 7 margin. The legislation will now head over to the General Assembly for consideration.
S1304, among other things, would raise the penalty for possession of "assault firearms" from a third-degree crime to a second-degree crime, which carries a potential 10-year prison sentence and $150,000 fine. S1304 is an ill-conceived attempt to address gang violence. The bill is likely to have severe unintended consequences for the Garden State’s law-abiding gun owners, such as posing a risk of lengthy incarceration to otherwise law-abiding gun owners who were turned into criminals overnight in 1990 by New Jersey's vague and confusing “assault firearms” ban.
Please keep checking your email and www.NRAILA.org for future updates and action alerts.