AP Photo/Seth Wenig

Anti-gunners have never figured out that when it comes to guns, bad guys will always get them. They imagine that if they can make everyone swallow the gun control pill, life would turn into a complete Utopia powered by fairy dust.

The problem is, pro-gun states aren’t interested in what anti-gun states have to say on the issue. Arizona isn’t interested in what California has to say about much of anything and Idaho isn’t all that worried about what New York thinks.

Yet New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy wants to blame the violence in his state on pro-gun states, and he’s threatening to “shame and name” those states.

Gov. Phil Murphy said gun violence in the capital city “can’t go on.”

“It must not go on,” added Murphy. “We want a summer of safety.”

His remarks came during a round-table Tuesday with mayors, lawmakers and gun advocates about how the state can continue addressing the “epidemic” of gun violence sweeping the nation.

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Tightening the state’s already-strict gun laws has been a point of emphasis for Murphy, who on Tuesday called gun violence an “epidemic.” To try to stem the tide in the Garden State, the governor last year signed into law a half-dozen new gun-control laws.

His administration has also prioritized “shaming and naming” source states and manufacturers responsible for the flow of illegal guns into the Garden State. The governor’s gun czar, Bill Castner, said the next step is identifying and outing “bad apple” dealers.

Murphy cited state data he said showed more than 80 percent of guns used in crimes here in the first three months of the year came from outside New Jersey.

First, manufacturers are blameless. They don’t sell directly to people. All sales have to be routed through a licensed dealer, so even if someone does try to buy directly from Glock, they still have to comply with federal law with the individual dealer. A manufacturer can’t be held responsible for what happens after a firearm leaves its facility. That’s especially true since most manufacturers’ guns go through distributors before arriving at a gun store.

Further, trying to “shame” the so-called source states only works if the states in question give a damn about what Murphy and the state of New Jersey think of them. I sure as hell don’t, and I don’t see why any pro-gun state would. It’s not like the governor of New Jersey has any authority beyond his borders.

Not that it would matter.

Let’s say that Murphy starts naming names, and those states are shamed into compliance. They crack down on firearm sales. Guess what? It won’t matter. Why? Because criminals aren’t obeying the laws in the first place. These “out-of-state guns” may well have been purchased through gun dealers, but they may also have been stolen in these states then transported to New Jersey. Based on what we know of criminal behavior, the latter is the far more likely scenario.

So even if Murph’s plan of trying to shame states into capitulation were to work, it would still accomplish nothing in his state.

What would, however, is loosening his state’s restrictions on law-abiding citizens being able to carry firearms. You don’t get to demand advance notice of an attacker’s intentions to harm you. If the bad guys have to start assuming the good guys may be armed, then something has to change on their end. After a few get put down, that change may come in the way of seeking more lawful employment.

That’s a win for everyone.

Too bad Murphy isn’t interested in that. He’s only interested in trying to export his draconian and unconstitutional gun control scheme to the rest of the nation. Thank God he doesn’t have the power to do more than try and make other states feel bad.