STORM WATCH

Morning snow followed by deep cold in New Jersey

New Jersey lawmakers rewrite gun carry law after US Supreme Court ruling

New Jersey lawmakers have unveiled new legislation to rewrite the state’s firearm carry laws after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June expanding gun rights.

News 12 Staff

Oct 13, 2022, 11:36 PM

Updated 798 days ago

Share:

New Jersey lawmakers have unveiled new legislation to rewrite the state’s firearm carry laws after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June expanding gun rights.
Democratic Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and Senate President Nicholas Scutari said Thursday that the new measure will ban permit holders from carrying in schools, polling places, bars, restaurants, theaters, sports arenas, airports, casinos and child care facilities. It also sets up a new requirement that permit holders carry insurance to protect against accidental discharge.
“New Jersey continues to be a leader on gun safety with laws that help keep our communities safe,” Scutari wrote in a statement. “This bill will help prevent gun violence with common-sense standards to require training, promote gun safety and prevent firearms from being carried into sensitive locations. Finally, this new law will help provide a tool for law enforcement in our fight against illegal gun trafficking.”
But not all of New Jersey’s lawmakers are celebrating the proposed legislation.
Republican state Sen. Edward Durr says that while he has not yet seen a draft of the bill, he is worried it is the Democrats’ intention to “override the Constitution and the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision.”
“We have the strictest gun laws in the country, and this is yet another clear example of the Democrats’ open hostility to the Second Amendment and the Constitution as a whole,” Durr wrote in a statement. “Let’s be real. Criminals are the problem, not law-abiding citizens who have rights. The bad guys won’t go out and buy gun insurance before they carjack a family or shoot up a neighborhood.”
Durr has sponsored legislation he says would “allow certain persons to carry a handgun on private property unless expressly prohibited by the property owner and removes the statutory justifiable need requirement.”
Other gun rights advocates said they would want to overturn the bill in court if it becomes law.
The Associated Press wire services contributed to this report.