New Jersey lawmakers are rushing to get a bill placing onerous (and likely unconstitutional) new restrictions on the right to carry to Gov. Phil Murphy’s desk before the end of the year, but don’t expect their latest infringements to have any impact whatsoever on those who are already carrying without a government-issued permission slip. That legislation would not only create a spiderweb of “gun-free zones” designed to ensnare those with concealed carry permits, but jacks up the fees New Jersey imposes on all those seeking to keep and/or bear arms and even mandates the purchase of liability insurance for all licensed concealed carry permittees.
Meanwhile, there are plenty of individuals in the state who are willing and ready to wantonly violate each and every gun law already on the books, including bringing guns to school. A recent incident at a high school in Paterson, New Jersey resulted in the discovery of multiple firearms discovered on or near the school’s campus.
Police say a number of students were involved in a fight Friday morning in the hallway on the first floor. One of the kids, 17, had a loaded gun.
As security locked down the building, they noticed another 15-year-old student banging on the door. Officers later found him across the street with another adult. Both were armed – and arrested.
“You could have a very violent outcome. So I’m glad that we prevented a school shooting from taking place here at Kennedy High School,” said Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh.
Starting Monday, everyone entering Kennedy High School will be wanded until further notice. Extra police officers will also patrol the exterior of the grounds to make sure anyone who doesn’t belong leaves.
“We are working on access control for all of the doors to upgrade the system. We were already working on updating cameras,” said Director of School Safety Dalton Price.
All that’s great, but aren’t New Jersey’s laws supposed to prevent teens from getting ahold of a gun in the first place? Why should all of these security procedures be necessary given the massive amount of anti-gun legislation that’s already in place? And if the current gun control laws aren’t able to stop a 15-year old in Paterson from getting his hands on a gun and bringing it on to his high school campus, then how on earth are the laws that Murphy’s been clamoring for going to stop violent criminals when they’re aimed directly at legal gun owners?
Well, the simple answer is that they won’t. Here’s another recent example from the Garden State involving a teenage girl, her alleged adult accomplice, and an an illegally-possessed firearm that the teen is believed to have used in an armed robbery attempt in Clifton, New Jersey.
According to police, on Tuesday at approximately 9:00 PM, a food delivery driver was robbed at knifepoint while attempting to deliver food to a bogus address off Chittenden Road.
“The victim became apprehensive when she was unable to locate the exact address when she approached the area of delivery. In that moment, she observed a female standing in a nearby driveway directing her to exit her vehicle,” the Clifton Police Department said. “After the victim refused, the female approached the vehicle and attempted to forcefully enter the passenger compartment. Meanwhile, a male appeared out of the darkness and began tapping a knife on the driver’s side window of the victim’s car. After fleeing the scene, the victim drove to the police headquarters in order to ensure her safety.”
Although unsuccessful at first, the officers eventually located two individuals near a bus stop on Broad Street after searching the area for the suspects. Officers determined that these were the individuals responsible for the attempted robbery after further investigation. The juvenile female suspect was found to be in possession of a loaded handgun when officers took her into custody. A knife, presumably used in the commission of the crime, was found nearby the suspects.
Shore News Network notes that last week’s incident was just the latest in a “series of food delivery robberies occurring throughout North Jersey, some of which have resulted in victims being pistol whipped and sustaining serious injuries.” Rather than doing anything to help those delivery drivers (or other New Jersey residents) protect themselves, however, the Democrats in Trenton are taking the opposite approach; empowering violent criminals while defenestrating the right to armed self-defense.
The final vote on A4769 could come as early as this week, and I suspect that the first lawsuits will be filed before the ink has dried on Murphy’s signature. Even if a federal judge allows for the bulk of new gun control measures to take effect, the impact on violent criminals will be negligible. It’ll be those Garden State gun owners who are trying to stay on the right side of the law who will suffer, while the teens who are getting ahold of guns and carrying them to class or to after-school activities like robbing delivery drivers will be unfazed and unscathed.
