The state of New Jersey has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation and they’re always seemingly looking to add more to the books.

They have the kinds of laws we’re told are absolutely vital to keep guns out of the wrong hands.

If that were the case, we’d never see a story about people being arrested for taking guns to schoolyard brawls or anything, right? I’m sure they’re completely and totally accurate about how effective gun control is.

Or, you know…not.

Four people including three juveniles and an 18-year-old man have been arrested following a violent fight at a local school that nearly escalated into a full-blown firefight, according to Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes.

Paterson cops at John F. Kennedy High School reported seizing three loaded handguns after bringing the situation under control.

The fight involving multiple students broke out shortly before 11 a.m. Friday morning, Valdes said. Cops at the school managed to separate the students and found one 17-year-old student in possession of a loaded handgun. The juvenile was charged with multiple weapons offenses and taken into custody.

A 14-year-old student involved in the fight, who did not have a firearm, is also accused of making threats to commit a shooting at the school. The teen was charged with the juvenile delinquency equivalent of third-degree terroristic threats and released pending proceedings in Family Court.

It also seems that after the fight and while the school was in lockdown, a 15-year-old male started banging on the doors and also threatening to commit a shooting at the school.

Clearly, a wonderful day for all involved.

Now, as for the guns…

This is a 17-year-old male that had the handgun. There is literally no place in the United States a 17-year-old individual can lawfully buy any kind of firearm, much less a handgun.

Frankly, this sure as hell looks like New Jersey’s gun control isn’t doing a whole lot to keep guns out of the wrong hands, despite how it’s been billed. After all, a teenager’s hands are going to be the wrong hands almost by definition, particularly without parental consent–which, let’s be honest, there’s no way this kid got the OK from his parent/s.

It also illustrates that those who are willing to break laws are more than willing to break gun laws. It should be a no-brainer, but I’ve seen no evidence of the state of New Jersey coming to understand it as a whole. Some folks there get it, but they’re an unfortunate minority.

Most there are clearly too dense to understand this very simple fact.

“But without the laws…”

Without the laws nothing. No 17-year-old kid is going to be lawfully carrying a gun. All the laws have done is made it so good, decent folks in the state get treated like criminals while the criminals just sidestep all of that nonsense.

The laws do nothing except treat law-abiding folks as if they’re the bad guys.

What they don’t get is that if you push too far, the good guys will be more than happy to become the bad guys because it’s intolerable to live any other way.