New Jersey: Senate Committee Resumes Gun Control Push Monday

The relentless attack on law-abiding gun owners continues next week in Trenton.  Despite New Jersey already having some of the harshest gun laws in the country, anti-gun politicians in Trenton keep coming back for more.

On Monday May 21, the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee will hold a hearing at 1 p.m. in Room 4 of the Statehouse Annex, and half a dozen anti-gun bills are on the agenda.  

The Assembly versions of these bills have already passed the Assembly, and the Senate Law & Public Safety Committee approved the Senate companion bills roughly a month ago.  However, many of the bills have been double-referenced, and the Budget and Appropriations Committee is going to discuss amendments and fiscal impacts.  Gun owners should continue to strongly voice opposition to these bills.   Even amended, these bills are bad and will do nothing to enhance school or public safety.  If the legislation clears the committee Monday, they would still have to pass the Senate.

The following bills are on Monday's agenda:

• S.102 by Sen. Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D) is a magazine and gun ban.  This legislation would ban magazines with a capacity greater than 10.  We all know magazine bans do nothing except punish law-abiding gun owners because criminals by definition ignore laws.  This bill would put honest citizens in jeopardy during violent criminal attacks and would subject them to prosecution for possessing what is currently legal property.  This bill would turn the majority of New Jersey’s 1 million gun owners into felons overnight. 
• S.2259 by Sen. Richard Codey (D) creates extreme risk protection orders whereby firearms can be seized and constitutional rights suspended with little to no due process.  The bill fails to penalize those who fabricate accusations, and it does nothing to improve public safety. 
• S.160 by Sen. Vin Gopal (D) would allow for suspension of gun rights by unaccountable “health professionals.”  This bill goes so far as to allow marriage counselors, social workers and nurses to cause suspension of your legal rights.
• S.2376 by Sen. Linda Greenstein (D) codifies New Jersey’s “justifiable need” standard for the issuance of concealed carry permits.  The bill is a striking blow to the basic fundamental right to self-defense outside the home.  It creates a standard so onerous that nobody can meet it, hence the issuance of permits in New Jersey is close to non-existent.   
• S.2245 by Sen. Fred Madden, Jr. (D) bans handgun ammunition which is already banned under federal law.  This bill does nothing to improve public safety and is a classic example of the asinine nature of New Jersey gun laws as a whole.  This is nothing more than political pandering to gun banners.
• S.2374 by Sen. Linda Greenstein (D) would require background checks on all firearm transfers.  Again, this is redundant because all transactions in New Jersey require a background check.  The private transfer of long guns requires an FID card and the issuance of that card requires fingerprinting, a background check and references, among other things.  This bill does nothing except add another layer of bureaucracy and fees to an already cumbersome and duplicative process. 
• S.2465 by Sen. Joseph Cryan (D) would prohibit purchasing firearm components to unlawfully manufacture a firearm without a serial number.  This bill has not been heard in the Assembly yet.

Please contact members of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee and respectfully request that these bills be opposed.

Senate Budget and Appropriates Committee:

Sen. Paul Sarlo (Chair)
(201) 804-8118

Sen. Brian Stack (Vice-Chair)
(201) 376-1942

Sen. Dawn Marie Addiego
609-654-1498

Sen. Anthony Bucco
973-627-9700

Sen. Nilsa Cruz-Perez
(856) 541-1251 (Camden)
(856) 547-4800 (Audubon)
(856) 853-2960 (Woodbury)

Sen. Sandra Cunningham
201-451-5100

Sen. Patrick Diegnan Jr.
908-757-1677

Sen. Linda Greenstein
609-395-9911

Sen. Declan O’Scanlon Jr.
732-933-1591

Sen. Steve Oroho
(973) 300-0200 (Sparta)
(908) 441-6343 (Allamuchy)

Sen. Teresa Ruiz
973-484-1000

Sen. Troy Singleton
856-234-2790

Sen. Samuel Thompson
732-607-7580