New Jersey: Senate Committee Advances Anti-Gun Package

On Thursday, the Senate Law & Public Safety Committee passed a package of anti-gun bills adopted by the Assembly back in March. The bills all advanced from committee on party-line votes, with the committee Democrats supporting.

The NRA provided testimony highlighting the redundancy of the legislation and the severity of the penalties. Nearly all the bills were amended, in some instances providing important exemptions for cases of lawful self-defense. However, even with the amendments, the legislation is still unnecessary, infringes upon the rights of gun owners and warrants opposition.

The bills now head to the Senate floor, where they can be taken up for a vote at any time. Your immediate help is needed! Please contact your Senator and respectfully ask them to reject all gun control bills, including the following:

S.1558 makes it a first-degree crime (up to 20 years in jail) to transport, ship, or even dispose of a firearm without a serial number. There is no exception for previously owned historical firearms that were lawfully manufactured and lawfully acquired without a serial number.

S.3893 prescribes penalties for the sale and possession of “machine gun conversion devices.” Such devices are already banned at both the state and federal level.

S.3894 creates a crime for possession of digital instructions to illegally manufacture firearms or firearm components. This legislation creates a crime even if someone never produces a gun or component. Simply having a digital file for a component on your computer makes you a criminal.

S.3706 mandates the use of Merchant Category Codes. This is nothing more than government-sanctioned snooping that can be used to create a firearms registry or discriminate against gun owners and lawful businesses.

These gun bills are completely unnecessary. New Jersey has more than enough gun laws already. It’s time to tell the politicians to leave law-abiding citizens alone and focus on enforcing the laws already on the books.

Stay tuned to your email inbox and www.nraila.org for further updates as these bills advance.