New Jersey is a cesspool of progressive policy and garbage. Garden Staters are currently living through the most authoritarian anti-civil liberty regime – possibly – ever. In New Jersey, all three branches of government are compromised and we’ve only scratched the surface here in the pages of Bearing Arms. When last year’s so-called “carry-killer” bill was introduced, the cretins in Trenton showed a fair amount of their true colors. And “color” is a perfect topic considering the racist remarks that Democratic Assemblyman John “Jim Crow” McKeon made during the hearings on the bill. The other month a release went out from the Governor’s office about protecting interracial marriage, and John “Jim Crow” McKeon had to weigh in as a primary sponsor.

The remarks that McKeon made last year let New Jersey, and the world at large, get a glimpse at how he – and other Democratic leaders – really feels. During a committee hearing, another Assemblyman pointed out that the concealed carry fees that were being proposed – which went into effect mind you – were exorbitant. The unconstitutionality of the fee hikes is an entirely other matter; this is about McKeon’s reaction to his friend on the other side suggesting potential programs/grants for those who cannot afford to go through the licensing process to get a firearm, never-the-less carry one.

McKeon’s remarks from my former coverage on the topic:

…in my opinion, maybe tone deaf isn’t the right word as opposed to maybe a little bit disingenuous. Do you really do either of you? Does anybody really want to put more guns in the hands of people that live in Paterson and Newark and Elizabeth and Camden, to say here, all the money you’re charging isn’t fair. That will make things safer. 

The clip of McKeon’s racist admission can be heard HERE in a video or in the embed at the end of this post. What I pointed out almost a year ago, I’ll point out again.

How offensive is McKeon’s remark? Let’s drill down into what he’s saying. Taking some demographic statistics from Statistical Atlas, we have the following information on New Jersey:

Patterson has the following population demographics: White @ 8.6%, Black @ 29.4%, and 57.2% are classified as HIspanic.

Newark has the following population demographics: White @ 10.7%, Black @ 50.2%, and 34.1% are classified as Hispanic.

Elizabeth has the following population demographics: White @ 14.1%, Black @ 19.7%, and 60.9% are classified as Hispanic.

Camden has the following population demographics: White @ 5.3%, Black @ 47.8%, and 42.5% are classified as Hispanic.

Assemblyman John McKeon’s remarks were nothing short of racist, with the cities he named having some of the largest populations of Blacks and Hispanics in New Jersey.

McKeon made it clear he does not think it’s okay for “those people” to have access to firearms.

In a weird, fate-would-have-it moment, Democratic Governor Phil Murphy recently signed legislation into law that would protect interracial marriage. I was not aware that we had such issues in the Garden State, that interracial marriages needed to be protected. Maybe we should just assume the Governor and Legislature’s move on this is out of projection. After all, most of what these authoritarian pinkos do is project on others their own feelings or deep rooted dark thoughts.

The release lauds this landmark, Earth-shattering, obviously necessary, legislation.

Governor Phil Murphy today signed legislation (A-4939/S-3719) affirming the fundamental right of a person to marry or enter into a civil union with a person of any race. Today’s signing ensures that interracial marriage in New Jersey is protected even if the United States Supreme Court decides that the federal Constitution no longer protects the right to marry someone of a different race.

In 1967, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Loving v. Virginia that the federal Constitution prohibits state laws that ban interracial marriage, as Virginia did at the time. Over the last several years, however, the new majority on the Supreme Court has overturned numerous precedents protecting liberty and equality. When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Org., the Justices discussed whether the decision to eliminate the federal constitutional right to an abortion also threatened other well-established precedents like Loving. This legislation addresses such concerns by enshrining the fundamental right of interracial marriage in New Jersey statutory law.

If this isn’t political pandering, I don’t know what is. The Murphy administration has vilified the Supreme Court over the NYSRPA v. Bruen decision and takes any chance they can to cast them as an illegitimate court. The left-of-center political machine has gone apoplectic over these rulings they find disfavorable, and have continually distorted the facts to try and win public opinion.

In New Jersey, our so-called leaders thought this was a necessary measure. Assemblyman John McKeon was one of the primary sponsors of the legislation and weighed in on the topic.

“The United States Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has opened the door to further erosion of rights such as marriage equality, access to contraception, and yes, interracial marriage. The threat may seem theoretical but the concern is very real. Given the risk that other federally protected personal decisions could be returned to individual states for determination, including the right of persons of different racial or ethnic backgrounds to marry, it is necessary to protect interracial marriage in New Jersey statutory law,” said Assemblyman McKeon. “Through this law, we will ensure that in our State, a couple’s right to enter into a marriage of their choosing – where race is not a prohibiting factor –  will remain their right if ever the Supreme Court decides to repeal the 1967 landmark decision of Loving v. Virginia.”

The Supreme Court also said that Blacks, like all law-abiding people, can have and carry guns. Another thing that McKeon takes exception with.

The move is clearly a political one in an election year. McKeon, who’s up for reelection, but also running for State Senate, needed these race points to counteract his transgressions from last year. Surprise! This landmark legislation was introduced, passed, and enacted. Bravo comrades!

Fun fact, the other two Democratic members of the Assembly who co-sponsored the legislation as primary sponsors with McKeon are on the Judiciary Committee with him. It looks like they’ve circled the wagons for McKeon – and really themselves. They’re culpable for putting up with his racist remarks, not condemning them publicly, and supporting legislation that is historically rooted in racism… and pretty clearly is racially motivated in the present day as well.

Assemblyman John “Jim Crow” McKeon can hide behind these pieces of legislation. Whether or not these pieces of legislation are necessary in 2023 remains to be seen, but that’s not what this is about. IMHO, we do have bigger issues in New Jersey. This is about a disarmament proponent who specifically named Blacks and Latinos based on geography on his list of people he does not want to have firearms. No amount of damage control can unring the bell that McKeon rang. The only thing he has going for him is that the Democratic party rarely eats their own, and generally ascribes to the “blue no matter who” ideology… even if pulling the lever for McKeon is pulling the lever for more racist gun control laws.

“…I draw the line in the dust and toss the gauntlet before the feet of tyranny . . . and I say . . . segregation today . . . segregation tomorrow . . . segregation forever.” – Democratic Governor George Wallace