Given the civilian disarmers’ wish list presented to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie by the SAFE Task Force he created to examine ways to further encroach on the Second Amendment rights in his state, yesterday’s announcement of the new proposals he intends to push isn’t nearly as bad as they might have been. Other than throwing more money (that the state doesn’t have) at mental health programs and requiring a parent to sign off before junior can take home the latest Gears of War, if Chris gets his way, prospective gun owners will have to . . .
…show their driver’s license in addition to their permit when buying a gun. That’s the same driver’s license they had to show to procure the state’s blessing and a Firearm Purchaser Identification Card in the first place. Useless? Yep. PITA? Meh.
But then there’s the big one. The measure that’s sure to make all the difference and send a chill down the spines of every Newark and Jersey City street thug. The Gov wants to ban the purchase of Barrett .50 cal rifles. Does it matter that you can probably count the number of crimes committed in the nation’s armpit with a .50 BMG on zero fingers? Apparently not.
“The package of bills Christie is sending the Legislature includes only a few that are direct gun-control measures,” usatoday.com reports. True enough. Conspicuous by its absence is an arbitrary magazine capacity limit. Well, a more arbitrary one. Jersey already has a 15 round max. No Internet ammo purchase prohibition or further restrictions on private gun sales, either.
The Governor apparently looked across the Hudson and decided that he wanted no part of Andy Cuomo’s little disaster. Or the court fights that would likely follow. But don’t let your guard down Garden Staters. The legislature’s bound to make a bad bill worse.
A cynic might view the Governor’s limited list (for a northeastern anti-gun state) of proposals and conclude that this will allow him to say that he’s “done something” about gun violence, while still leaving him a viable candidate for national office. Thank God no one around here is that cynical.