Tougher gun laws needed outside NJ

northjersey.com ^ | September 13, 2007 | CAROLYN SALAZAR

[Coleus]

 
 Three of every four guns recovered from crime scenes in New Jersey last year were purchased from surrounding states with looser gun laws, according to a recent study by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Surrounding states must strength their gun laws to match New Jersey’s if violent crime in the Garden State is going to be reduced, a group of county prosecutors said Thursday. To drive home their point, prosecutors from several counties stood with members of an anti-gun violence coalition next to the Phillipsburg Free Bridge on the Delaware River, across from Easton, Pa. “The majority of states outside of New Jersey don’t have the type of restrictions we have,” said Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli, who participated in the news conference. “It’s startling how many violent crimes are committed [with] guns that people bought outside the state.”

Three of every four guns recovered from crime scenes in New Jersey last year were purchased from surrounding states with looser gun laws, according to a recent study by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Of those, the vast majority were bought in Pennsylvania, the bureau reported. Second on the list was Virginia, followed by Florida. Using that data, members of Ceasefire NJ hope to put pressure on state officials in those states to toughen their gun laws.

“You can’t achieve change unless the public becomes aware of the problem,” said Bryan Miller, the group’s executive director. “This was our opportunity to make people who live on both sides of the Delaware River aware of what’s going on.” “That is something that we have to stop,” he said. In Bergen County, close to 80 percent of firearms confiscated by police were purchased outside the state, including the one used in the murder of Fair Lawn Police Officer Mary Ann Collura in April 2003. Collura, 43, was helping a Clifton police officer chase an armed suspect when the gunman shot and killed her on the lawn of a Fair Lawn church. He was killed in a shootout with police several days later near Tampa, Fla.

Gun buyers in New Jersey must first obtain either a handgun permit or firearms identification card and must as provide references from two “reputable” citizens. Unlike in most other states, the police chief from the buyer’s town of residence must approve the application, which includes a background check and mental health examination. The process includes a two-week waiting period. Laws in Pennsylvania and some other states require much less paperwork and allow buyers to purchase guns within minutes.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg began targeting gun shops in Pennsylvania last year by suing stores that sold guns used in crimes. Two shops were dropped from the suit after agreeing to have their employees trained to avoid so-called straw purchases, in which a purported buyer fills out the paperwork for a gun being bought by a friend or relative — often a felon who is legally barred from doing so. Molinelli joined Union County Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow, president of the County Prosecutors Association of New Jersey, as well as prosecutors and assistants from Hudson, Warren, Essex, Sussex, Mercer and Monmouth counties at Thursday’s Ceasefire NJ news conference. They displayed some high-powered weaponry seized in New Jersey that was bought out of state.

[NRA2BFree]

Do they have the death penalty in NJ?

[gunner03]

Glad I left Jersey AND PA.

[Coleus]

.

[ozzymandus]

Screw you, Joisey. Go get Tony Soprano’s guns.

[El Gato]

Surrounding states must strength their gun laws to match New Jersey’s if violent crime in the Garden State is going to be reduced, a group of county prosecutors said Thursday

How about New Jersey conform its gun laws to the Constitution and start arresting real criminals, robbers, rapists, burglars, and so forth, and then KEEP THEM IN JAIL for their full sentence? That might require jailing half of Newark at this point but so be it.

Even though the NJ Constitution does not explicitly protect the RKBA, it does contain the following clauses:

1. 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. ...

5. No person shall be denied the enjoyment of any civil or military right, nor be discriminated against in the exercise of any civil or military right, nor be segregated in the militia or in the public schools, because of religious principles, race, color, ancestry or national origin.

21. This enumeration of rights and privileges shall not be construed to impair or deny others retained by the people.

. Thus under the NJ Constitution, there is a "Right to protect property, and "military rights". Which would seem imply a right to be armed. Plus section 21 would also protect the preexisting "right of people" mentioned in the Federal Constitution, as one of those "others retained by the people".

[MarkL]

I think that the problem is that it’s a quagmire, and we just need to redeploy from New Jersey. If it will work in Iraq, I’m sure it will work in New Jersey.

Mark

[paul51]

I wonder how many crimes are committed in surrounding states by criminals from NJ

[El Gato]

The process includes a two-week waiting period. Laws in Pennsylvania and some other states require much less paperwork and allow buyers to purchase guns within minutes.

Of course there is that nasty federal background check. If such measures did any good, criminals from New Jersey wouldn't have more success acquiring firearms in Pennsylvania or other states than they do in New Jersey. Plus most of those weapons would be handguns I'd imagine, the purchase of which from a dealer not in ones home state is also against federal law, albeit another of the nature of affecting mostly the law abiding, and not criminals.

[El Gato]

State passes tough gun control laws and gun crime declines, it's proof anti-gun laws work.

Even if that were true, and I know you aren't implying that it is, gun control laws would still be in violation of the Constitution. The increased rate of crimes committed with arms would be part of the price of freedom.

But of course the restrictions on freedom actually seem to increase crime rates, often even the rates of crimes committed with firearms.

[El Gato]

25. The American Revolution would never have happened with gun control.

Actually the attempt at gun control was what set off the American Revolution.

The Powers That Be, should keep that in mind.

[Scotsman will be Free]

The stinking gun nazis never rest. If every state that surrounds New Jerky has more strict gun laws, then they will point their fingers at the states surrounding the states that surround New Jerky, and on it goes.

[Scotsman will be Free]

Here’s another one. Two types of people fear an armed, honest citizenry. Tyrants and criminals. Which one are you?

[El Gato]

Technically they do. But, they haven't had an execution since 1963. They have 9-13 on death row (sites vary, probably with the last time the site was updated.

NPR and The Nation report that a state legislative commission has voted 12-1 to eliminate the death penalty. Prior to the commission's vote, a year or so prior, they passed a law temporarily suspending the death penalty.

[goldstategop]

The anti-gun crowd's answer to gun crime is to take away gun rights from law-abiding citizens. Doing that in Pennsylvania wouldn't make people in New Jersey safer. Idiots.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[2harddrive]

EFF’IN Jersey COWARDS!!!