New Jersey Gov. Corzine signs handgun bill
New Jersey becomes the fourth state, following California, Maryland and Virginia, with limits on handgun sales. Buyers or sellers who violate the law face penalties of up to 18 months in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie has said existing gun laws need better enforcement and that he wouldn’t focus on enacting new gun legislation, and his campaign manager Thursday derided the new law as “nothing more than a photo-op.”
“It is absolutely essential that those of us who are in public life stand up and just say no to the gun violence and gun trafficking that spurs so much of the tragedy that we’ve seen,” Corzine said.
“I guarantee you this: We will be talking about gun safety and gun regulation in this election season because it is vital, it is vital, that the people of the state of New Jersey have safety in their neighborhoods,” Corzine said.
We know what a tough issue gun ownership and laws restricting such is. This is certainly a common sense bill that will not affect anyone’s right to own hand guns, it just makes them plan out how many handguns they want to own and limits their ability to buy all those at once.
Gun rights organizations such as the NRA opposed this bill from the very start, but it still managed to get through both houses to the Governors hand. This bill really can’t affect lawful gun owners at all unless their appetite for handguns is such that they need more than one new gun a month. It does not restrict gun ownership beyond what the laws in New Jersey already say.
Will such a law actually have a positive effect on gun violence? Time will tell. Because we still don’t gather unified stats on things like the cause of trauma injury and collate them into a unified report that actually gauges the level of trauma as well as the injury mechanism on a national basis, it’s hard to quantify results from a bill like this. The police do their best to unify their crime stats, it’s time for the CDC to step up to the plate and give us stats we can actually use and count on.
One things for sure, trauma centers all across the nation battle penetrating trauma from gun shots and knives every single day, and this trauma and death leaves in its wake untold tragedy, grief and struggles to recover, both physically and on a psycho-social level.
Therefore, we applaud this bill and the courage it took to bring it to the floor, get it passed and get it signed and we hope this will be a national trend. If Virginia can do it, so can states like Texas and Montana, even Alaska? You betcha!
Wilk do you really think that criminals purchase guns legally? As Chris Christie mentions, existing gun laws need to be enforced before we go and create new ones. Laws such as this only penalize law abiding citizens. We don’t restrict peoples purchases of cars even though drunk driving causes more deaths than handguns each year. We don’t even restrict car purchases for drunk drivers…
Hi Tony!
I knew this would draw ire, glad it did so from a good friend! I know what a true controversy this subject draws, but my stance is clear. I don’t object to legal gun ownership, I just object to those that don’t secure them safely and those that use them for homicide and suicide. Whether this bill does a large amount of good is up to legitimate question, still, I applaud any such common sense legislation. I will not buy the idea that limiting gun owners to 1 handgun a month is a burden that is beyond the pale of the constitution.
I agree that the laws on the books need to be enforced, I also agree with this law. I understand that felons cannot buy a handgun in a legitimate storefront, but they can do so in the parking lots of guns shows in some states still, yet another problem to be addressed. It is entirely plausible that those that pass a background check may indeed seek to profit from those that cannot, that’s at least one thing this bill may address.
Cars vs. guns is a specious comparison. Guns have two purposes, to hunt (handguns aside), kill in self defense and to kill in the act of homicide and suicide. Cars simply transport people, and those that drive irresponsibly now more than ever face homicide charges just like people that use firearms for homicide do. Furthermore, there are not constitutional rights actual or perceived for the privilege of driving, it is regulated FAR more than guns, the most recent in Florida is one I hope you are finally abiding by, the primary seatbelt law. Just like gun legislation, it may draw your ire, it may not, I just pray you are finally doing the right thing and protecting yourself.
If you would spend just a few hours touring the Ryder Trauma Center’s ICU, even better, spend a few days in resuscitation, you would better understand the human toll of guns. That’s what I see, and it saddens me.
I hope we can debate and still be friends!
Wilk