Why are gun laws stricter now than before?

[GunByte 2]

I moved to Florida from NJ after living there a good part of my adult life. What a difference in gun laws and influence of gun owners here compared to NJ. Down here politicians thread lightly when it comes to gun control. The right to bear arms is taken very seriously by residents of this State and anyone runing for State office has little chance of being elected if they favor more gun control. This got me thinking about my old hometown of NJ. Why does NJ keep electing anti gun Governors and other State/local officials? The rest of the US has moved to a pro gun stance with most States being Shall issue States. Now I see that you can only buy one gun a month which was not in effect when I lived there so it seems that NJ is going in the opposite direction from the rest of the the country. When I first moved to NJ from NYC I felt as if I was in gun heaven since I now could buy guns and join a local gun club were I shot every weekend. Now after living here and becoming more aware of gun rights in other States, what I had in NJ does not seem to be that good after all. A gun for home defense and the ability to transport it unloaded and locked up to a gun range pales in comparason to what most States allow.

 

It is not as if Florida has a majority of its population that carry or own guns; we are a minority compared to the total State population and yet we have a major influence on gun laws. We have some well organzied groups supported by lawyers who volunteer their time to challenge any and all infringements on our 2nd Amendment rights. The NRA also provides support and legal help when needed. No matter how many actually own guns or concealed carry permits here, the general population supports concealed carry and 2nd amendment rights. Other States have been successful in revising State gun laws so why can't NJ? Is the gun owning citizens of the Garden State too small or ineffective to make changes to the gun laws? Just what the heck is the problem that gun owners in other States seem to have been able to solve?

[Blacksmythe 71]

I my self have been talking to my neighbors and encouraging them to purchase firearms. Its the only way to change things here in nj. We need a fierce voting base to put a foot in the ass of the lazt punk ass legislature. and dont get me started with R.I.N.O. Christie.

[Old Glock guy 1,127]

Damn good question! I would guess that a lot of it has to do with the dominance of liberal politicians in this area, plus the long-standing history of an unarmed populace due to the oft cited excuse about "population density."

[GunByte 2]

Damn good question! I would guess that a lot of it has to do with the dominance of liberal politicians in this area, plus the long-standing history of an unarmed populace due to the oft cited excuse about "population density."

 

The only reason liberal politicians dominate is because they are elected so they must reflect a liberal population.

[kman 56]

Also in the past 20 years lots of NJ gun owners have moved out of New Jersey if they had the opportunity, if a job opened up out of state.

 

Each gun owner who left NJ in the past 20 years not only is one less vote but also is one less good example to sway neighbors' perceptions as to what a gun owner is.

 

Hence the image many people in NJ have of gun owners is the image that Hollywood has fabricated - a suspicious person, someone to be afraid of. The neighbor who target shoots and is a nice person with a nice family no longer lives next to them. They have no concrete example to be a counter-example to the propaganda they see on television. To them a gun owner is someone who flips out and shoots his boss.

 

It will be a struggle here to get our rights back.

[Underdog 1,593]

You could say that most politicians are corrupt, but it seems we have a larger population of that type in this state per capita. We also have extremely poor inner cities with a majority of the population in this state and with a lot of gang and drug-related violence. These people make up a large voting block and are subjected to this inner-city violence (which is spreading out) and take handouts from the government as a way of life. These people have been brought up not to be familiar with guns, except in proximity to the illegal use of them with violence) and many of them could hardly afford to own them even if they wanted to, or to practice with them (although they can afford big-screen TVs and video games and i crap... go figure). So, the populations are appeased with politicians that give them things and bring about ridiculous gun laws to throw a bone to their constituents as a feel-good answer to the violence because the politicians either cannot or don't want to stop (sometimes tied to payoffs, etc.) the violence, but use these ridiculous laws to pacify their constituents and "show" that they are doing something about the mayhem. Again, this is a generational thing in which more and more of the population is removed from the ownership, enjoyment, and security of guns. And, lastly, these corrupt politicians do not want an angered, armed population to figure out how much liberties these politicians are taking with every facet of controlling the peoples' lives. This kind of schumer will spread as long as the population moves in this direction of being poor, on the dole, and in experiencing violent criminals.

[GunByte 2]

Also in the past 20 years lots of NJ gun owners have moved out of New Jersey if they had the opportunity, if a job opened up out of state.

 

Each gun owner who left NJ in the past 20 years not only is one less vote but also is one less good example to sway neighbors' perceptions as to what a gun owner is.

 

Hence the image many people in NJ have of gun owners is the image that Hollywood has fabricated - a suspicious person, someone to be afraid of. The neighbor who target shoots and is a nice person with a nice family no longer lives next to them. They have no concrete example to be a counter-example to the propaganda they see on television. To them a gun owner is someone who flips out and shoots his boss.

 

It will be a struggle here to get our rights back.

 

I can understand that because I took a major paycut to move here. I just got tired of the high property taxes, corrupt politicians, and gun control laws. I feel liberated now. Two of my good friends also moved out of NJ, as did two of my cousins, in-laws and acquaintances.

[Kaiser7 33]

I can understand that because I took a major paycut to move here. I just got tired of the high property taxes, corrupt politicians, and gun control laws. I feel liberated now. Two of my good friends also moved out of NJ, as did two of my cousins, in-laws and acquaintances.

 

They say everyone in NJ either has moved to, wants to move, or knows someone who has moved to Florida or North Carolina.

 

We do have some groups, NRA doesn't really do much for us from what I see (though I still gave them my dues.) NJ2AS is doing a lot, but we don't really have the cash/influence to make major changes yet. And here in NJ, it's not right or wrong, but cash and power which decides legislation.

 

I'm assuming you saw they want to ban laser pointers also.

[ExpendableRaj 1]

R.I.N.O. Christie.

 

You see, therein lies the problem. You view Republicans as being the champions of gun rights, or at the very least, you're insinuating a "real" Republican would favor lax gun laws. Thing is, if you truly believe the second amendment is a right, then it has nothing to do with political party, or politics at all.

[Blacksmythe 71]

I must admit I have been thinking about PA, MS and NC lately. None of this wait for our permission crap.

[Blacksmythe 71]

You see, therein lies the problem. You view Republicans as being the champions of gun rights, or at the very least, you're insinuating a "real" Republican would favor lax gun laws. Thing is, if you truly believe the second amendment is a right, then it has nothing to do with political party, or politics at all.

I just dont like the way most people see him as some great nj saviour. He is a opportunist like a lot of the goons in government. I dont care if there is a D or an R after their name. Just access to my rights and the rights of my children.

[GunByte 2]

They say everyone in NJ either has moved to, wants to move, or knows someone who has moved to Florida or North Carolina.

 

We do have some groups, NRA doesn't really do much for us from what I see (though I still gave them my dues.) NJ2AS is doing a lot, but we don't really have the cash/influence to make major changes yet. And here in NJ, it's not right or wrong, but cash and power which decides legislation.

 

I'm assuming you saw they want to ban laser pointers also.

 

You are right as there is a very large population of NJ people here. We often kid at the pool when we meet yet another couple from NJ that we know more people from NJ here than we did when we lived there. It is not uncommon to see a NJ license plate on a car or golf cart as we are in a golf cart community and people like to put their old plates on them. In fact we probably see more than one NJ plate every time we are on the road.

 

Would laser sights be illegal too?

[Midwest 28]

I know friends and friends of friends who moved from NJ to places like PA, NC, FL and Arizona.

[Texan 1]

I'm still hurting from the agreement to move here for 4 years from Texas. I have to travel back to Texas twice a year just to see my firearms. The only thing I felt safe within the law to bring was a pump shotgun and 13 round handgun. I'm amazed at how these laws can be, and be supported by anyone.

[TK421 2]

It is ironic; I don't think another state exists, except for maybe California, where at least 50% of the people you speak with are looking for an opportunity to leave. At least California has some nicer climates.