Today’s the day the Garden State goes down the tubes. New Jersey legislators are slated to vote on a package of 23 bills that will put the state at the forefront of the post-Sandy Hook civilian disarmament crusade. In a nj.com editorial Today, New Jersey can help stop the carnage of gun violence, Speaker Sheila Y. Oliver greets the prospect with glee. “Our comprehensive package promotes common-sense measures without infringing on the Second Amendment rights enshrined in our Constitution. By keeping dangerous weapons off of our streets, cracking down on illegal gun trafficking and addressing mental health issues and school security, we can stop these tragedies from becoming all too common.” As for accusations that the package is a totalitarian knee-jerk response to Sandy Hook . . .
For those who argue that our efforts are an emotional response to the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, I don’t entirely disagree. To not be driven by emotion to address the incomprehensible slaying of 20 innocent children would be baffling.
What this is not, however, is a knee-jerk response. The time to get serious about protecting our communities from gun violence is long overdue. Many of the proposals Assembly Democrats have put forth are the result of long-running discussions, expert advice and common-sense proposals to close glaring loopholes.
Did you catch that? Long-running discussions. In other words, these gun grabbing measures have been in the planning stages for a long time. So much for being “paranoid” then.
Anyway, all eyes turn to Chris Christie. Will the Governor sign the “comprehensive package” punting his political prospects on the national level or will he do the right thing? Watch this space.