N.J. Assembly Considers New Gun Control Bills
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The New Jersey Assembly is set to consider legislation which could amount to an all-out handgun ban considering the language of the bill. Though the measure mentions only ammunition, specifically “armor piercing ammunition,” the National Rifle Association asserts that it is a virtual assault on handguns as well. Today, the New Jersey Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee will be considering Assembly Bill 588 and Assembly Bill 1013.

AB 588, sponsored by Assemblywoman L. Grace Spencer (above left), claims to target any ammunition which would “pose a threat to the safety and well being of law enforcement,” but some analysts recognize that it would target all kinds of ammunition.

Ammoland reports, “Common hunting, target, and self-defense ammunition would be subject to ban, along with BBs, airgun pellets, and non-metallic ammunition like plastic airsoft pellets.”

The National Rifle Association explains that the parameters of the bill are far more encompassing than even that:

Although the bill only mentions handgun ammunition, it is in fact not limited to handgun ammunition, and would apply to all rifle ammunition for which a handgun is ever made. As an increasing number of gun manufacturers make handgun models that shoot rifle caliber ammunition, the line between “handgun” vs. “rifle” ammunition has become blurred, and the New Jersey State Police have already begun treating rifle ammunition in this category as if it were handgun ammunition for regulatory purposes. As long as a handgun exists that shoots a particular caliber of rifle ammunition, New Jersey treats that ammunition as if it were handgun ammunition.

AB 1013, sponsored by Assemblyman Charles Mainor, criminalizes the use of defaced or stolen firearms to injure a police officer and increases the penalties for defacing a firearm. But as noted by the NRA, this is particularly troublesome given New Jersey’s “poorly crafted definition of ‘defaced’ firearms.” According to the NRA, it’s possible for the law to be construed so that “refinishing a firearm, or long-term damage from rust or scratches from ordinary wear and tear, could be deemed ‘defacement.’ ”

This is not the first time that the New Jersey legislature has revealed its anti-gun bias. In 2008, the Assembly’s Judiciary Committee pushed for legislation which would ban a variety of firearms. That committee passed the legislation 5 to 1.

Second Amendment rights are being assaulted on a number of different levels around the country.

The tragic shooting in Tucson, Arizona, last year has provoked anti-gun advocates to call for stricter gun regulations.

Likewise, President Obama has reportedly promised the Brady Center that he would work on gun legislation “under the radar,” prompting some to consider the original intent of the Fast & Furious gunwalking project. Following revelations of the scandal, NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre announced that the Obama administration had actually intended to point to the guns being walked as reason to compel further gun restrictions.

LaPierre told Newsmax,

Thousands of guns would still be going over the border into the Mexican drug cartels and the President and the Attorney General and the Secretary of State would all be running around going, "90 percent of the guns come from America" in an attempt to seek political advantage and in an attempt to enact more gun control laws on honest American citizens and use this whole issue politically against the Second Amendment of the United States.

Months after LaPierre made those statements, he was vindicated. CBS News obtained documents which show that the ATF discussed using the Operation Fast and Furious to advocate for further gun legislation. CBS News reports:

ATF officials didn’t intend to publicly disclose their own role in letting Mexican cartels obtain the weapons, but emails show they discussed using the sales, including sales encouraged by ATF, to justify a new gun regulation called "Demand Letter 3." That would require some U.S. gun shops to report the sale of multiple rifles or "long guns." Demand Letter 3 was so named because it would be the third ATF program demanding gun dealers report tracing information.

Likewise, the White House is pushing for the U.S. Senate to ratify the UN’s Small Arms Treaty, which would ultimately disarm the American people and limit the ability to purchase a number of firearms.

The NRA is encouraging New Jersey residents to contact members of the Assembly Committee on Law and Public Safety at 609-292-5135.