Conceal carry Bill NJ (A1384)- ACTION

NJ Bills ^ | 1/12/2010 | NJ Bill

[mikelets456]

A1384 Revises procedures for securing a permit to carry a handgun. Law and Public Safety

(See .pdf on site)

Please send NJ PING to contact assembly... This MAY happen!

[mikelets456]

Part of the Bill:

SYNOPSIS

Revises procedures for securing a permit to carry a handgun.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel

An Act concerning crime, supplementing chapter 58 of Title 2C of the New Jersey Statutes, and amending N.J.S.2C:39-2, N.J.S.2C:58-3 and N.J.S.2C:58-4.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. (New section) This act shall be known and may be cited as the “Citizens’ Protection Act.”

2. (New section) The Legislature finds that:

Whereas, The New Jersey Constitution provides that “all persons are by nature free and independent, and have certain natural and unalienable rights, among which are those of enjoying and defending life and liberty, of acquiring, possessing, and protecting property, and of pursuing and obtaining safety and happiness”; and

Whereas, The Superior Court of New Jersey in 1978 ruled in Wuethrich v. Delia, that no public entity can be held liable for failure to provide police protection; and

Whereas, In 1994, 636 New Jersey residents were victims of car-jackers and these 636 victims were unable to make the personal choice to carry firearms for self-defense; and

Whereas, An analysis of the nation’s 30 “right-to-carry” states has demonstrated that only three to five percent of the population actually obtain permits to carry a handgun, but 95 to 97 percent of the population benefits because those individuals who exhibit socially aberrant behavior do not know if their intended victim is armed; and

Whereas, The “right-to-carry” is a significant deterrent to crime, as indicated by the marked reduction in crime rates experienced in those states which afford their law-abiding citizens the “right-to-carry” compared to those states which do not; and

Whereas, Aggravated assaults, for example, are 19.4 percent lower in “right-to-carry” states; as are robberies (38.4 percent lower), homicides (37.9 percent lower), and handgun homicides (41.1 percent lower); and

Whereas, In California, where the “right-to-carry” is permitted in certain counties, a comparison of the crime rates in those counties with those which do not permit their law-abiding residents to carry handguns reveals lower crime rates in the “right-to-carry” counties; and

Whereas, The State of Florida has experienced lower crime rates since enacting its “right-to-carry” statute, as reflected in that state’s 22 percent drop in homicides and 29 percent reduction in handgun homicides; and

Whereas, Cognizant of the unmistakable statistical evidence affirming the significant impact the “right-to-carry” has had in dramatically lowering crime rates in those states and jurisdictions where law-abiding citizens are permitted to carry handguns; and

Whereas, Recognizing the natural and unalienable rights accorded the citizens of this State by the New Jersey Constitution to defend their lives, protect their property, and pursue and obtain their safety and happiness.

The Legislature, therefore, declares that it is altogether fitting and proper, and within the public interest, to revise the statutes of this State governing the issuance of permits to carry handguns by enacting the provisions of this act, the “Crime Reduction Act,” so that the law-abiding citizens of this State may exercise their natural and unalienable rights to provide for the defense, protection and safety of their families, property, and themselves by carrying a handgun, if they so choose.

[atomic_dog]

Is that political speech for “shall issue?” We are fighting this fight in CA too.

[KeyesPlease]

Why do you believe it may happen? This bill has been introduced every legislative session going back to at least 1996.

[mikelets456]

I did not know that... Oh well, one can wish.

[KeyesPlease]

The good news is that 2008 was the first year any Dems were sponsors. Never had that before. I doubt it will ever make it out of committee but, as you say, one can wish.