New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy doesn’t even make pretenses of being pro-Second Amendment. At least, he doesn’t so far as I’ve been able to tell. Many other anti-gunners will claim “I support the Second Amendment but…” when we all know that what almost always follows “but…” is going to be ample evidence that they don’t support it at all.

It’s just the way things go.

Recent comments he made regarding the Second Amendment, particularly in relation to COVID-19, Murphy illustrated his feelings about guns abundantly clear.

In a letter to the editor of the New Jersey Herald, congressional candidate James Baldini had some harsh words for the governor.

Governor Murphy said: “A safe society, for my taste has fewer guns, not more guns. And that the guns that do exist are in the hands of the right people.” He means of course the police and his bodyguards. Not you and me, the law-abiding citizen.

The governor’s “feelings” are not legal reasoning to violate the Constitution. His “taste” is not an acceptable jurisprudence to violate our Second Amendment rights.

His administration releases prisoners onto the streets, making our state less safe. Who does he think will be armed? The governor sets you and me up to be victims. It’s shameful.

Baldini goes on to point out that Murphy won’t have to worry about his own safety. After all, he has a personal security detail that will protect him 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

He’s as safe as anyone can be.

But Joe Blow in Newark is a different matter entirely. Murphy’s move to shut down the gun stores means that Mr. Blow, who never felt he needed a firearm until now, is just slap out of luck. This despite DHS guidance that gun stores are critical businesses. That’s because the DHS guidance doesn’t fit with Murphy’s worldview.

I’ve said since the beginning that much of these decisions to shut down gun stores was ideologically driven, rather than driven by public health concerns. Murphy’s comments make it quite clear that such is his driving desire.

Baldini is right to call Murphy down over this, especially as he’ll not have to suffer for his decisions like the rest of his state will.

At a time like this, ideology shouldn’t be a driving force in depriving people of their constitutionally-protected rights. Yet that’s what people like Murphy have done.

It’s a shame, too, because we’ve seen anti-gun governors in states like Illinois, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania all back off their instincts and ideology and declare gun stores essential businesses to some degree. Gov. Murphy could easily have done the same, even just declaring they could be open by appointment only if he were truly worried about minimizing the spread of COVID-19. But he’s not.

I will say that at least it’s nice to see one of the anti-gun governors admit as much. That’s at least a refreshing change of pace.

It doesn’t make it any less wrong, mind you, but it’s refreshing.

My hope is that the inevitable lawsuit slaps Murphy around sufficiently for his nonsense.