The citizens of the state of New Jersey have long been denied effective self-defense be they state’s freedom-hating limousine liberals, but after a spate of recent killings and revelations that gun control encourages violent crime, even the New Jersey media are questioning the state’s failed gun control laws.

The violence in New Jersey and the high profile shootings like the one at the Short Hills Mall have many people questioning whether or not New Jersey’s gun laws do more harm than good.

Several lawsuits have been filed by people who want to loosen New Jersey’s gun laws believing that guns in the hands of law abiding citizens may reduce crime.

Frank Fiamingo of New Jersey’s 2nd Amendment Society explained that New Jerseyans should have the right to carry guns and protect themselves.

“The criminals know that we, as New Jersey residents, are not going to be armed because there really is no right to obtain, well there is a right to obtain and carry a permit, but they do not allow us to exercise it,” he said.

It isn’t new news. States that have restrictions on the carrying of concealed weapons have higher gun-related murder rates.

When only criminals and police have guns, then criminals know that if they ignore their peers and police, then law-abiding citizens cannot offer up a credible defense against them. It’s pretty much “common sense.”

You might even be tempted to call it “gun sense.”

Unfortunately, “gun sense” has long been lacking in this part of the country, and citizens are only beginning to just wake up to the fact that politicians pass laws that serve their best interests, and not the best interests of their constituents. Hopefully awareness of hard data showing that New Jersey’s restrictive “may issue” permitting system is costing lives will be enough to start a real effort to revise the system to a proven successful “shall issue” model that is working well in most of the nation.