NJ Legislators Moving To Prohibit Making Permits To Carry Guns Easier To Obtain
TRENTON, N.J. (CBS) - A New Jersey Assembly committee has passed a measure aimed at derailing efforts by the Christie Administration to liberalize the state's gun control law by establishing a lower standard for issuing a permit to carry a weapon in public.
At issue is a requirement that someone present a "justifiable need" to a judge before getting such a permit. The administration wants to add the perception of a "serious threat" to the list of what qualifies under that need.
Supporters of the current law say there are already too many guns on the street.
"I think that this would make New Jersey a more dangerous place, if we were to kind of go down this slippery slope," said Reverend Robert Moore of Cease Fire New Jersey.
Gun advocates point to 43 other states that have more liberal carry permit laws than New Jersey. Scott Bach heads up the New Jersey Association of Rifle and Pistol Clubs, and argued that people are free to use a licensed weapon to protect themselves at home.
"When you step outside your front door, what changes?" he asked. "Is your life any less valuable outside your home than inside your home?"
The Law and Public Safety Committee passed the resolution, sending it on to the full Assembly for a vote. The state Senate approved the move last month.
Assuming the full Assembly concurs, the State Police would have 30 days to amend or withdraw the proposed regulatory change.
Should that not happen, legislators could then hold a hearing and later pass a separate resolution that would invalidate the proposal without Governor Chris Christie taking action.
