There are several states where an infraction of a so-called gun control law will get someone the equivalent of a felony conviction. For example, in New Jersey under the Graves Act, anything involving firearms results in a minimum mandatory of 3 to 5 years in prison. Looking at New York’s laws, new and old, people are dealing with felonies there too. The recent pissing on the NYSRPA v. Bruen decision law from New York “makes it a class E felony to possess a firearm, rifle, or shot-gun in an enumerated prohibited sensitive place.” 

For the longest time, we were fed the big lie that these laws were in the interest of public safety. Thanks to Assemblyman Joe Danielsen from New Jersey for saying the quiet part out loud, a hypothesis a friend of mine posed to me seems even more valid than it did when she expressed it to me. 

I reported recently that Danielsen admitted these laws are addressing the law abiding only. Not the criminals. The thought is that the politicians are doing this to make as many law abiding gun owners ineligible persons by tripping them up in these screwball laws, thus not allowing them the ability to vote.

We have a recap on what New Jersey Democrat Assemblyman Joe Danielsen said about the bill he introduced, which would kill carry in the Garden State:

The last thing I want to say to people, and some of my own Democrats have committed to me, a commented that to me, this does nothing [to] stop the illegal gun trade, or the illegal criminal, illegal possessions, or criminal content and…you’re right. This doesn’t. It was never supposed to address that.

NYSRPA v. Bruen re-settled that which was said several times before, that the Second Amendment is not a second-class right. The case also made it clear that the bearing of arms, that of carrying them in public, is a Constitutional right.

With the egregious laws that have existed and continue to get passed and signed, they usually come with the formerly noted draconian punishments when broken. By making it a felony or equivalent level offense when any firearm related regulation is broken, the gun-grabbers are adding to the felony pool. 

Danielsen said so himself, that his carry killer bill is aimed solely at the law-abiding citizen. By creating a dangerous patchwork of confusing places one may carry a firearm under the proposal, there’s an incredibly large chance that many will inadvertently break the law. Danielsen also testified that he’s okay with a person becoming a felon for just accidently stepping on someone’s property that does not allow carry.

By turning more law abiding gun owners into felons for mopery offenses, these lawmakers are removing them from the pool of eligible voters. By doing such, they’re adding more weight to their own base, by making their votes count more. Further, with such draconian provisions hanging over the heads of the law abiding, the simple threat of such punishments can act as a chilling effect, thus making people less prone to exercise their rights.

Now’s the perfect time to ask what other Constitutional right can one exercise that’ll possibly make them a felon? The answer to that is practically none. I’m sure there are some rare cases of misappropriated speech that have landed someone with a felony conviction, but I’m talking about on a regular basis. You don’t just accidently say something wrong about someone and then end up a felon. Or inadvertently tell the military they can’t stay in your home, and find yourself locked up for over a year. These things pretty much don’t happen.

If it’s a right to both keep and bear arms, then accidently running afoul of any laws that restrict this right should be simple misdemeanors. These felony level offenses, in a post NYSRPA v. Bruen time just don’t hold water. They can’t. Naturally in my opinion these laws should be repealed and true Constitutional carry should be the law of the land, but baby steps.

It’s clear that the anti-freedom caucus does not just hate guns. No, it’s not the guns they hate, but the gun owners. By inflicting as much damage and infringing on them as much as possible, they’re better able to get on with the rest of their political plans, especially if they’re able to turn us all into felons. Danielsen, that’s your intention, isn’t it? To make us all felons? Make it so we can’t own guns or vote? Seems to be the case.

We should be making calls to all our lawmakers, executives, and gun rights organizations that an overhaul of the laws in draconian jurisdictions must be immediately conducted. Yes, I know we do that already, but a different flavor. Ignoring the content of what restriction is in place, the teeth of any such measure must be removed, as such punishments cannot stand when someone is exercising a right. That’s the charge, to remove the penalty.

Immediate challenges to laws such as the Graves Act in New Jersey need to occur. The state of New Jersey wants it to continue to be against the law to carry a firearm in a State Park? Well, I think that’s unconstitutional, but besides that, the punishment aught to amount to what a traffic ticket might be. Not having one’s life completely ruined, as states like New Jersey have done to many people. 

The National Rifle Association, Second Amendment Foundation, Firearms Policy Coalition, Gun Owners of America, et.al. should band together to target the penalties, in addition to the restrictions.

We know we have a battle ahead of us, and that the June victory was the beginning of the fight in many ways. It’s going to take decades to dismantle the laws that restrict us. However, while they’re in place, they won’t be that bad if it’s a toothless mouth that’s biting us when we make honest mistakes. We don’t jail people for praying in the United States of America, thus we shouldn’t for firearm possession without criminal intent.

I’d like to hear the gun-grabbers explain to me how enjoying a right should lead to a felony. Where’s the historical analogue? I’ll wait.