Not sure how many of you get the Philadelphia Inquirer, but there was an article in today's edition which correlates high gun sales with the poor economy. Of course this isnt the first such article to highlight this point, but I found interesting the brief interview with NJ State Senator Jeff Van Drew (D, Cape May), who supports the right to carry and apparently is pushing legislation that would make NJ a shall-issue state.

 

"People have a responsibility to protect themselves," said New Jersey State Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D., Cape May). "They're concerned about the loss of police protection. There are those who believe [that future gun] laws will be more onerous and that it will be more difficult to purchase guns.

"When we increase restrictions on legal gun owners, that doesn't stop the bad guys and gangbangers," Van Drew said. "It doesn't necessarily enhance our safety."

In the new legislative session, he said, he plans to reintroduce a bill he pushed in 2010 that would allow gun owners who take a special course to obtain a permit to carry a concealed firearm.

"The legislation is the thoughtful, logical approach to the right to carry," Van Drew said. "When I first introduced it, some were saying we'd have the Wild West, with shootouts on the streets.

"But in other states where individuals have their Second Amendment rights and it's much easier to get carry permits, things are just fine," he said. In the proposed gun course, "you will learn how to lawfully use the weapon and be proficient, and how to break it down and clean it."

 

All this coming from a Democrat! I realize his legislation doesnt stand much of a chance, but nice to see there are at least a couple Democrats on our side in the state.

 

Link to Full Article

That is positive news for us. Next to CCW my pet peeve is additional pistol permit paperwork needed, and the fact that they only last 180 days (with the 90 day extension of course).

 

Considering the PD's are all cutting back on officers and staff, seems to me it would make more sense to issue CCW's and repeal the unnecessary paperwork thats created because we have to get permits for each pistol.

Im still not holding my breath

Van Drew is also the guy who wanted IIRC $500.00 per year for a CCW permit or some such fee.

If i had a choice of no CCW, or CCW with a fee....right now Id pay for one.

If i had a choice of no CCW, or CCW with a fee....right now Id pay for one.

 

agreed

Van Drew is also the guy who wanted IIRC $500.00 per year for a CCW permit or some such fee.

 

you are correct, but his hope was to use the money to get some people to help him back it. Once CCW was enacted the fee would then be lowered to something much more reasonable. It's easier to fight over the fee then it is to get a law passed.

He didn't get much help from many short sighted gun owners so the last time he tried the attempt failed.

you are correct, but his hope was to use the money to get some people to help him back it. Once CCW was enacted the fee would then be lowered to something much more reasonable. It's easier to fight over the fee then it is to get a law passed.

He didn't get much help from many short sighted gun owners so the last time he tried the attempt failed.

 

Do you really think the fee would ever be lowered? The tolls on the parkway, turnpike and all the bridges and tunnels leading out of NJ were all supposed to be temporary and end once the construction bonds were paid off, we see how well that worked out.

 

Government is NEVER going to lower such a fee once it is established. I want to be able to carry as bad as anyone else, but $500 a year is far from reasonable.

Anybody who thinks government will lower or eliminate a tax or fee once it's in place should take a look at the Federal Telephone Excise Tax.

Van Drew is also the guy who wanted IIRC $500.00 per year for a CCW permit or some such fee.

 

You can refer him to bill A1493 that has been referred to the Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee. If he wants to support it he should get the word out. It would be amended as follows:

 

N.J.S.2C:58-4

 

c. ..."the applicant shall at the time of issuance pay a fee of $20 for the five year permit. The fee for renewal of the five year permit shall be $20"

 

He can take that $500 a year and shove it.

For $500 I'm in. Just tell me to whom I write the check and get the CCW within 90 days of application. Oops - that does not work too well for pistol permits either.

Van Drew is also the guy who wanted IIRC $500.00 per year for a CCW permit or some such fee.

 

He withdrew that bill and resubmitted it with a $100 fee. .

 

The bill he submitted isn't perfect, but it is better than what we have now and it is more likely to pass than the Republican bill.

 

Van Drew and Dougherty ( R ) had a bipartisan address at the South Jersey Shooting Center last year sponsored by NJ2AS. Van Drew was well versed on the issue, answered every question, and to me, seemed sincere in his desire to try to pass something palatable for both sides.

$100 a year i can live with. $500 a year is a tad steep. Though, $25 every 5 years would be far more welcome. Im just not going to hold my breath...for any of these to pass...i can dream though...

you are correct, but his hope was to use the money to get some people to help him back it.

 

I know Van Drew (he was a classmate of mine), and I believe his rationale was that if he could show his fellow legislators that his proposal would put some money in the state coffers, it would have a better chance of getting some support. He did, as someone noted, re-submit the bill with just a $100 fee. The argument that we should not have to pay for a right seems pointless, given that we don't have that right anyway here in NJ