NJ Passes Gun Law Requiring Unique Mechanism

Yahoo News ^ | 12/16/02 | Yahoo News

[Freemeorkillme]

TRENTON, N.J. (Reuters) - The state legislature passed a bill on Monday that would make New Jersey the first state in the United States to ban the sale of handguns not equipped with a mechanism to limit their use to the owners.

Gun owners' organizations fought the legislation, noting that the technology to "personalize" firearms was not yet commercially available.

The measure, which would apply once the technology is available, would require each new handgun sold in New Jersey to have a mechanism that would prevent anyone other than the owner from firing it.

"I look forward to signing the legislation once it reaches my desk," Gov. James McGreevey, a Democrat, said in a statement.

The state has invested more than $1 million in gun safety research at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

The bill was passed by the Democratic-controlled state Assembly last month and by the state Senate on Monday.

[Freemeorkillme]

More common sense for NJ.

"I look forward to signing the legislation once it reaches my desk," Gov. James McGreevey, a Democrat, said in a statement.

Absolutely no thought given here to the loss in human life this will cause. What if I'm hurt and my wife needs to defend me with my firearms???

[Atlas Sneezed]

Let the technology be proven by use only by cops for a few years. And don't exempt cop guns from the law.

[OXENinFLA]

So the cost of guns in NJ is going to jump what,400%?

[Puppage]

LET'S MAKE DRIVING A CAR ILLEGAL, AND JUST USE THE TRANSPORTER...EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT A VIABLE TECHNOLOGY YET.

[Travis McGee]

For now, let's just pass a law that only cars which cannot crash and get 150 mpg can be sold in NJ.

[reagent]

What if I'm hurt and my wife needs to defend me with my firearms???

Teach her how to dial 911. Don't worry, the police will get there before anything bad happens.

[stevio]

Grrrrr.....

[FreeTally]

I would think there would be some type of trade laws preventing a State from enacting such laws.

However, what should happen is that all firearm manufacturers should refuse to sell guns directly to the police in NJ, and probably not sell in NJ at all.

[FreeTally]

The measure, which would apply once the technology is available,

Well, I see an obvious counter-tactic by the gun industry here. Simply do not develop such technology. I don't think the industry wants to anyway.

[Constitutional Patriot]

"Let the technology be proven by use only by cops for a few years. And don't exempt cop guns from the law."

Exactly. Why should the police be exempted? Is there a fair possibility that the technology will fail? Make the police use them first (I can hear their protests already...of course, these protests would not be carried in the left-wing media). Also, make McGreasey's bodyguards carry them too!!

[dighton]

What a spectacularly bad and dishonest law.

[Constitutional Patriot]

"I would think there would be some type of trade laws preventing a State from enacting such laws."

It would be nice to throw the commerce clause arguments used so successfully in the past by left wing courts against them on this issue. I think it clearly applies here.

[Constitutional Patriot]

"Well, I see an obvious counter-tactic by the gun industry here. Simply do not develop such technology. I don't think the industry wants to anyway."

You can bet that some left wing college scientist will receive plenty of funding from left wing institutions to develop this technology, which will then be presented as "viable".

[Grut]

...what should happen is that all firearm manufacturers should refuse to sell guns directly to the police in NJ...

Trust me, the folks Lenin looked to buy rope from will be only too happy to sell guns to the state.

[Sender]

"I look forward to signing this utterly ridiculous, feel-good legislation, knowing full well that the technology to implement this law does not yet exist and may never exist in a reliable and affordable form."

"While the law as written is meaningless and an abject failure, it sure as hell will demonize gun owners even further, make firearms prohibitively expensive or illegal, and cause incredible hardship for anyone even thinking of buying a gun. And that is the kind of law I think all Democrats can agree on and be proud of."

-Guv'nor Prattlepuss

[Constitutional Patriot]

"What a spectacularly bad and dishonest law."

From a spectacularly bad and dishonest state...NJ sucks!

[VW_Mafia_Audi]

Phase I: Disarm the public
Phase II: Control them using military force

There's our government trying to take away our right to bear arms.
Stupid libs.

[Blood of Tyrants]

And LEO's will be exempt from this law, of course.

[FreeTally]

It would be nice to throw the commerce clause arguments used so successfully in the past by left wing courts against them on this issue. I think it clearly applies here.

I think this would be a proper application of the commerce clause. The New Jersey law would be a trade barrier arbitrarily applied to a specific consumer good. Not to mention that no level of government has any type of legal authority/power to make such a law(not that the government cares, you know).

This wouldn't even be a problem if firearms were treated like other products. If NJ tried this with say automobiles, people would just go to other States to purchase cars. NJ, or any State for that matter, could never pass such a law because they would lose so much revenue.

[Constitutional Patriot]

Of course. They all know that this is a bunch of crap. But it's OK for us to use...

I can't wait to move out of NJ. Do any freepers know of Securities Law/Compliance positions available anywhere outside of NJ/NY?