Thursday morning, Gov. Phil Murphy held a press conference to unveil yet another gun control package in the Garden State. Every time he reverts back to the same playbook, it is nothing more than an admission that years of gun control have been a failure. But because he has no real ideas about how to enhance public safety, the Governor doubles down on more of the same failed laws.
The Governor has proposed and supported the introduction of legislation which includes:
- Reworking the Firearms Identification Card system (FID) to include mandatory firearms safety course completion to even those who own firearms.
- Legislation which would require mandatory storage. Gun owners would be forced to store their firearms under lock and key in safes, rendering them useless in self-defense situations.
- Raising the age to 21 for FID card issuance for long guns and completely stripping an entire class of legal adults of their constitutional rights.
- Microstamping. This legislation would require all new semi-automatic handguns to be equipped with microstamping technology, a costly technology which is unproven and easily circumvented. This is nothing more than a traditional handgun ban.
- Forced market acceptance of “smart guns” by mandating that gun shops sell them. Again, this is nothing more than an attempt to ban traditional handguns.
- A .50 Caliber ban. This is a firearm that weighs about 30 lbs., costs thousands of dollars and is rarely, if ever used as a crime gun. This is the proverbial solution in search of a problem and constitutes political pandering at its worst.
- Electronic registering of all ammunition sales.
- Registering of firearms brought into the state by residents relocating to New Jersey. Ironically, under Murphy’s reign, most moving vans are pointed in the opposite direction.
There were other issues which were discussed, but these are a sample of the drastic steps the Governor is proposing. With each step he is inching toward his goal of completely banning the Second Amendment in New Jersey.
New Jersey has some of the toughest gun laws in the country and has for decades. Despite these laws, cities like Paterson, Camden, Newark and Trenton are some of the most violent cities in the country. This is evidence that none of these laws have been successful. New Jersey gun laws are an epic failure and so is Gov. Phil Murphy. NRA and its New Jersey members are adamantly opposed to these proposals, and we will fight them every step of the way in Trenton.