Posted on 12/04/2008 6:17:35 PM PST by neverdem
Now that the Supreme Court has confirmed that the Second Amendment protects the individual citizen's right to own handguns, it's time for public officials to start prescribing a new antidote for gun crime: target violent criminals who actually misuse handguns, instead of passing scattershot laws with toxic side-effects like disarming victims, bullying honest gun owners, and demonizing firearms themselves.
Unfortunately, a bill pending in the State Senate and up for committee vote 12/8 (S1774) is a bad dose of old medicine. It's a proposal to ration the Constitutional right of law-abiding citizens to own handguns beyond the existing regulatory thicket, which already slows exercise of those rights to a trickle. It ignores violent behavior and known sources of illegal trafficking, instead restricting only persons investigated and pre-certified as acceptable to own firearms. Even mainstream media recognize the ineffectiveness of this approach.
State handgun permits currently take months to receive, and can be further delayed or denied to anyone unsuitable. Applicants go to their local police, disclose personal and employment information under penalty of perjury, get fingerprinted, consent to criminal and mental health background checks, submit references, pay fees, and then wait, sometimes six months or longer.
Meanwhile, law enforcement conducts a 13-point background investigation. If a permit issues, it must be used within 90 days or the process repeats. A federal background check occurs at purchase, and transaction details are reported to police. If multiple permits are used within 5 days, another report is filed with BATFE.
S1774 criminalizes use of more than one permit per month, no matter how long the applicant waited for them or when they expire. It ignores the background checks and pre-certification, treating honest citizens like criminals and interfering with self defense and property transfer...
(Excerpt) Read more at blog.nj.com ...
People still live in New Jersey? Did all the bridges collapse or something?
How about we eliminate the possession laws (felons who want guns get them anyway, and not all felons are violent criminals, and if you got sent up for a paper-hanging offense you have no right to self-defense?) and drop the hammer (or guillotine) on those who are free and break the law?
No doubt I'll be thoroughlly flamed for this, but I raise the question nonetheless: Is a society that allows you to be on the streets and armed better (but pay a heavy penalty for violating) or worse than a society that sets arbitrary multiple standards to those on the street?
(An armed society is a polite society... RAH)
Note to self: Jersey is sliding further left as expected, don’t go, or even drive through Jersey.
I just don’t understand why the media distorts it so, do they all live in gated communities? or why “the people” can’t understand the stats... People must be generaly dumb.
To those in NJ that agree, (MY QUOTE) “do what you gatta do”
I have not read the bill, I will try tomorrow or this weekend on Thomas. But states like Tennessee do not have any existing laws pre-certifying someone’s right to purchase a firearm. The only hurdle in Tennesee and several other states is the Federal form 4473.
This is confusing.
Note to self: Read articles carefully. This is a New Jersey problem.
Neverdem, move to Tennessee.
Got three handgun purchase permits on Monday. Took 4 months to get them processed in the People’s Republic of Zoo Jersey. Used one today to purchase a nice Ruger p345. Will use the other two before the end of the month and then take up legal RESIDENCY in Pennsylvania where CCW and handgun purchase is as easy as a Federal check in 10 minutes. Will be able to buy High Capacity mags if I can find them after the Obama election causing a run on everything related to firearms . . The best thing is our pension and Social Security income will not be liable to State income tax. Be able to buy a lot of ammo with the extra $$.
It took my wife 8 months just to get the Firearm ID card because the State Police screwed up her fingerprints.
If you wanted a gun ILLEGALLY in this hellhole of a state it would take you about 20-30 minutes in Atlantic City to make a cash deal .
Even here in CA we don't have to get permits to buy handguns. We have a ten day wait and can only buy one new handgun per month. We even have CCW permits in the county I live in.
In the People’s Republic of Zoo Jersey you need a Firearm ID card to buy long guns or transport in a vehicle. You need another permit to buy a handgun and that usually takes 3+ months and you have 90 days to use it . You need the Firearm ID card in this godforsaken state to even buy a BB or pellet gun. All this does is suck $$$ out of your wallet for the dysfunctional politicians in Trenton who are running the state to hell in a hand basket under the guise of Commizar Corzine . .BTW, They also did away with the death penalty this year so you can in theory kill as many people as you want and only get life terms.
Tennessee has no such Stalinesque laws. No wait, no permit to buy. A carry permit takes less than three months to arrive after applying.
Weren’t all those evil New Jersey laws passed during the tenure of a governor that Rush Limbaugh called “Flim Flam Florio?
Forgot to mention that Zoo Jersey is a “may issue “ state and not a “shall issue “ state when it comes to CCW permits . I know gun store workers who were denied a permit .
And, from anecdotal evidence, it appears that so few carry permit applications are approved that it is a waste of time. But in my case, having a denial on record is a good thing. I do property valuations, manage some evictions and market foreclosed properties, sometimes in unsafe areas. If the worst were to happen, my family would have grounds to sue the individuals and entities (sheriff, sheriff's department, county government, state government, etc.) involved in the denial.
The FID is a purchase card. It is not required to transport a firearm in NJ. In fact, if you legally obtained them in another state, as I did when I was a resident of Ohio, you don't need to do anything. That said, I'm "in waiting" on my FID so that I can buy ammo to use at the nearby range.
If you are in an urban predator zone carry anyway . Your life is worth much more than the grief that your family would endure if you were murdered by the scum that thrive in these areas .Look at it this way. They( urban predators) don’t give a damn about the laws and regulations that would most certainly deny them a firearms purchase .You would be shot with an illegal weapon.So, shoot them with a LEGAL weapon and let the chips fall as they may. Would make great press if you survived the ordeal and took the perps out .
Only need the FID card to buy handgun ammo, not long gun . .22 and even .410 shotgubn ammo are considered handgun ammo in Zoo Jersey .(The Taurus Judge)
Right. Shotgun shells aren't a problem. Just about every other bit of center/rim fire ammo is.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.