Corzine signs law limiting handgun purchases

By Jonathan Tamari
Inquirer Trenton Bureau

TRENTON - New Jersey will become the fourth state in the nation to limit handgun purchases to one every month. Gov. Corzine signed the controversial measure into law yesterday.

Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer joined Corzine and called on Pennsylvania to become No. 5. The law, which is aimed at slowing gun trafficking, would make life safer in New Jersey and neighboring states by fighting trafficking, he said.

"I just hope Pennsylvanians would make it safer for us by passing this bill," Palmer said at a ceremony outside Trenton City Hall.

The law aims to impede "straw purchasers" - people who have clean records and buy guns legally, then pass them to criminals. The law will take effect in early January but could see some changes before then. A task force is reviewing its potential impact and will make recommendations this fall.

Corzine and gun-control advocates argue that roughly a quarter of what they call "crime guns" recovered in New Jersey come from within the state. It's not clear how many of those came from the type of multiple purchases that Corzine wants to stop. When pressed, the governor said there is anecdotal evidence that people with clean records are making large purchases to help criminals.

"Nothing is more dangerous than to have the proliferation, the vast proliferation, of guns in the hands of individuals who want to perpetrate violence in our communities," Corzine said.

The law would limit handgun purchases to one every 30 days, to a maximum of 13 a year, because of timing quirks. Rifles and other long guns would not be affected.

Exceptions have been carved out for collectors, and a task force has begun meeting to determine if amendments are needed to ensure that people who may need more than one handgun each month - such as competitive shooters - are not restricted.

Critics say the law would impinge on the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens in New Jersey, which already has some of the most strict gun laws in the nation.

"Trying to reduce gun crime by rationing guns to law-abiding citizens is as absurd as trying to reduce drunk driving by rationing cars to non-drinkers," Scott Bach, president of the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs, wrote in an e-mail.

Efforts to enact a similar law in Pennsylvania have failed, and Philadelphia saw its one-handgun-a-month ordinance struck down in court.

Gov. Rendell "couldn't agree more with Gov. Corzine, and he's glad New Jersey was able to sign that important legislation into law," spokesman Ken Snyder said yesterday. Prospects in Pennsylvania for the same legislation to pass are "more difficult," he said.

The nine-person review panel includes two Gloucester County Democrats: Assemblyman John Burzichelli, who voted against the bill, and Sen. Fred Madden, who supported it only after receiving assurances that the task force would study its impact. Burlington County prosecutor Robert Bernardi is also on the study team.

California, Maryland, and Virginia have similar laws.

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One-gun-a-month law signed by Corz critics: Won't work
Friday, August 07, 2009
By PAUL TAKAHASHI
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Gov. Jon Corzine yesterday signed legislation that limits individuals to buying no more than one handgun within a 30-day period.

The so-called one-gun-a-month law represents a victory for Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy, who asked local state legislators to sponsor the measure after a Jersey City law was struck down by the courts.
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"Thanks to the efforts of our Assemblywoman Joan Quigley and state Sen. Sandra Cunningham, who worked with my office to advance this legislation, Jersey City's One Gun A Month ordinance is now the law of the State of New Jersey," said Healy, who was in Trenton for the bill signing.

The Jersey City ordinance was in effect for roughly six months in 2006 and affected the city's lone gun dealer at the time, Caso's Gun-A-Rama on Danforth Avenue.

With help from the National Rifle Association, owner Frank Caso successfully challenged the ordinance, which was struck down in December 2006, and an appellate court upheld that ruling in 2008. The city filed an appeal to the New Jersey Supreme Court and is awaiting its decision.

"Although it seems like a moot point, we would still like to see a positive decision in the Supreme Court because it will vindicate the important right of municipalities to legislate for public safety," said Bill Matsikoudis, the city's attorney.

Opponents of the state law said yesterday it won't stem the flow of guns into New Jersey from other states. According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, 76 percent of all guns traced by New Jersey police originate from other states.

"This off-target law restricts the constitutional rights of honest citizens instead of punishing criminal behavior," said Scott Bach, president of the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs, an NRA affiliate.

"This is obviously an attempt to distract from a failing economy and the worst public corruption scandal in state history."

Caso echoed Bach's statements, saying the law will "put his business on hold."

"What does Corzine expect (to achieve by) curtailing purchases by law-abiding people of New Jersey?" Caso said. "Those who buy guns legally aren't breaking the law or shooting up banks. The problem is those politicians who are robbing people blind without (using) guns."

Any buyer or seller who violates the state law, which takes effect in January, will be guilty of a fourth-degree crime, punishable by up to 18 months in prison, a fine of up to $10,000 or both.

New Jersey joins California, Maryland and Virginia as the only states currently limiting the number of handguns that can be purchased by permit-holders at one time within a certain calendar period.