New Jersey: Assembly Committee Advances Gun Control Bills

The gun-grabbing grinches of Trenton do not take a holiday break from trying to steal more rights from Garden State gun owners. As lawmakers spend December wrapping up a “lame duck” session, NRA is always up to the challenge, and we were there on Monday to testify against a pair of bad gun bills in the Assembly Judiciary Committee. Predictably, Democrats advanced the bills on a 4–2 vote that followed party lines. These bills can now advance to the full Assembly for a vote at any time. Please contact your Assembly member and respectfully urge them to OPPOSE S.1425, A.3789, and A.6211.

S.1425/A.3789 purports to go after gun traffickers. However, what the bill really does is threaten legitimate dealers and others who have done nothing wrong and have followed state-mandated procedures to the letter. This bill punishes firearms dealers who “reasonably should know” if a purchaser is prohibited from owning firearms. This completely ignores the reality that every firearm transfer through a licensed dealer must pass a state and federal background check before a gun can be released. How is it that a dealer “reasonably should know” something about a purchaser when the State itself tells the dealer it is OK to transfer the firearm? This legislation was intentionally crafted with bad language for the very purpose of harassing honest dealers.

A.6211 enhances penalties for “trespass” with a firearm. While this sounds innocuous, it is a clear attack on concealed carry rights. Gun control advocates in Trenton despise the Bruen decision and will do what they can to undermine and obfuscate the right to carry. This bill would use trespass laws to expand the list of so-called “sensitive places” where carry is restricted and increase penalties—up to a permanent loss of firearms rights—for violations. This is an extremely dangerous bill for New Jersey concealed carry permit holders.

NRA-ILA will continue to monitor these bills throughout the lame duck session and fight for the rights of law-abiding New Jersey gun owners.