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Tighter handgun controls in NJ?

New Jersey will become the fourth state to limit handgun purchases to one a month — if Gov. Corzine pulls the trigger. Lawmakers in Trenton, with one foot out the door for their summer break, gave the measure a hasty thumbs-up after it had dragged through the Legislature for months.

Photo Credit: Cliffview Pilot

Virginia, Maryland, and California have similar restrictions, according to the Brady Campaign to End Gun Violence.

Supporters in New Jersey said the bill will prevent criminals from distributing handguns throughout New Jersey, which, as Sen. Anthony Bucco (R-Morris) noted, already has extremely strict regulations.State Sen. Sandra Cunningham (D-Hudson), one of the measure’s sponsors, said it would help control gun violence by “eliminating the financial incentive for would-be traffickers.”

Opponents, however, said it would do no such thing. Instead, it would punish law-abiding collectors and sports enthusiasts.

“It targets law-abiding citizens only and does nothing to impact crime or the source of illegal guns,” said Scott L. Bach, president of the New Jersey Association of Rifle and Pistol Clubs, told NJ.com.

Some simply find the whole matter befuddling.

For one thing, you already must have a firearms purchase ID after being finger-printed and background-checked by the FBI before you can buy a single gun in New Jersey. Then, you must apply to your local police department for a permit.

The approval process can take up to 6 months.

So, theoretically, if you buy a gun to use at a range but don’t feel comfortable with it, you must sit out a month just to apply to replace it with a different model. Then you have to wait it out.

Criminals, meanwhile, can drive to states with less-restrictive gun laws, enlist straw purchasers, load the weapons in their trunks and be back the same day.

Under the pending law, customers in New Jersey can buy only one handgun per 30-day period, while sellers cannot “knowingly delivering” more than one firearm over that same term.

Violators would face a fourth-degree felony charge, carrying a $10,000 penalty.

The law excludes law enforcement officers, licensed antique collectors and retail gun sellers who exchange firearms.

In an effort to keep the whole thing from backfiring, Corzine ordered the creation of a task force that would meet next month to determine the potential impact on violence, firearms trafficking and gun owners.

It would be comprised of representatives from the Attorney General’s office, the State Police and the County Prosecutor’s Association; two senators, two members of the Assembly, a member of gun club and an appointee from a violence prevention organization.

But that has merely left people on both sides of the issue scratching their heads.

The guess here is that he won’t sign it.

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