[Ancesthntr]

His supporters say the judge refused to accept evidence supporting his defense. He was convicted of the same kind of felony a criminal who had bought guns with intent to commit a crime would have faced.

Seems to me that a pardon was called for as a way of reversing that travesty of justice. Mere commutation only gets him out of jail, it doesn't wipe his record, a record that he received because of a corrupt, biased judge failing to perform his duties and uphold the Constitution.

And though New Jersey has some of the strictest gun laws in the country, Aitken’s attorney said his client did not violate any law because he was in the middle of moving residences between two states.

Exactly - NJ law is irrelevant regarding the interstate transport of firearms. This is addressed in the 1986 FOPA, and was put in there for EXACTLY this reason - to prevent anti-gun states from interfering with the right of gun owners to move guns between 2 places.

A PARDON was called for here, not a mere commutation.

[Scanian]

Maybe if his lawyer had sought one he would have received one.

A commutation was what he asked for and that was exactly what he got.