“Campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination, Gov. Chris Christie said he’ll likely pardon several out-of-staters legally permitted to carry their firearms in their home states who have been recently arrested in New Jersey under the Garden State’s tough gun laws,” nj.com reports. Specifically . . .
Elizabeth J. Griffith, of Daytona Beach, Fla., was arrested by U.S. Park Police on July 14 during a visit to Liberty State Park in Jersey City and charged with unlawful possession of a firearm. She could face a ten year prison sentence because her Florida state-issued permit to carry a handgun is not recognized by New Jersey . . .
Christie referred to Brian Fletcher, a North Carolina man volunteering to make emergency, storm-related utility repairs in Mercer County who is facing possible prison time for a felony gun charge after telling a police officer in Hamilton that he had a handgun in his vehicle.
“We have this gentleman who we’re considering right now for pardon, from North Carolina who was up here, helping New Jersey after the storm to repair cell towers,” said Christie. “This is just not the right way to do these things. This was not a guy who was a threat to anybody.”
Christie also said he “supported introducing a firearm permit reciprocity law that would honor out-of-state gun carry permits, but didn’t expect the Democratic-controlled legislature to cooperate.” In other words, it wazzunt me.
As for his previous support for a ban on “assault weapons,” Christie recently told a town hall attendee that his thinking has changed and challenged him “to come up with one fact (that shows) as governor of New Jersey I’ve done anything — anything — not to support the rights of legal gun owners.” You know, other than the call for a ban. And signing a law increasing the penalties for unlawful firearms possession – without provision for mistaken out-of-staters. Or anyone else.
Whether this is enough to sway Americans who vote their guns, people who [correctly] view the Garden State as the place where gun rights go to die, remains to be seen. But it’s not likely.