June 5, 201313 yr via Frank Fiamingo on Facebook.... *** ASSEMBLY LAW & PUBLIC SAFETY HEARING THIS THURSDAY 6/6/13 In their usual fashion the Assembly L&PS committee waited until 2 days before the hearing to announce it to the public. The following is an alert put out by the Association of NJ Rifle and Pistol Clubs (ANJRPC). I have their permission to repost it here for your convenience. Please let these legislators know how you feel about being left bout of the process and about how unfair it is for them to schedule these hearings with no advance notice and in the middle of a work day. ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE HEARING THURSDAY Anti-gun FID Card / Training Bill to be Heard Public Testimony Will Be Taken On Thursday, June 6, at 1:00 p.m., the New Jersey Assembly Law & Public Safety Committee is scheduled to consider amendments on several gun bills that were passed by the New Jersey Senate last month. The hearing is part of the "concurrence” process, in which differences in legislation passed by the two houses of the legislature are reconciled. It is important that members of the Law & Public Safety Committee hear from gun owners before Thursday’s hearing. While it is likely that the Committee will pass these bills, it is critical that gun owners make their voice heard at each moment in the process, including now, and that legislators do not get a "pass” from firearms owners. Every effort you make matters – this legislation would have passed months ago had gun owners not spoken up. Please urge the Committee members to oppose all new anti-gun legislation -- especially S2723 / A4182. This is Senate President Stephen Sweeney’s "centerpiece” legislation of the anti-gun bill package, being touted by Democrats as a "national model.” Among other things, this legislation throws out existing FID cards and replaces them with either a privacy-invading driver license endorsement or other form of ID; suspends Second Amendment rights without proof of firearms training; imposes a 7-day waiting period for handgun purchases; ends all private sales; and effectively creates a registry of ammunition purchases and long gun sales. This legislation will not stop criminals or prevent another tragedy -- it ONLY affects law-abiding citizens and no one else. Do not be fooled by claims that this bill benefits gun owners. This bill is poison with one or two drops of sugar added. The public can testify at Thursday’s committee hearing. Subject to change, the hearing is scheduled for committee room 16 on the 4th floor of the State House Annex, 125 West State Street, Trenton, N.J. 08608 The remaining bills currently scheduled for Thursday’s hearing do not require active opposition at this time – they have either been previously amended so they only impact criminals, or they do not impact Second Amendment rights. ANJRPC will issue additional alerts should that change. MEMBERS OF THE NEW JERSEY ASSEMBLY LAW & PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE: Charles Mainor (Chair) (D31) [email protected] Phone: 201-536-7851 Fax: 201-536-7854 Gilbert L. Wilson (Vice Chair) (D5) [email protected] Phone: 856-547-4800 Fax: 856-547-5496 Nelson T. Albano (D1) [email protected] Phone: 609-465-0700 Fax: 609-465-4578 Daniel R. Benson (D14) [email protected] Phone: 609-631-0198 Fax: 609-631-0324 Sean Connors (D33) [email protected] Phone: 201-795-9190 Fax: 201-795-5290 Joseph Cryan (D20) [email protected] Phone: 908-624-0880 Fax: 908-624-0587 Sean T. Kean (R30) [email protected] Phone: 732-974-0400 Fax: 732-974-2564 Gregory P. McGuckin (R10) [email protected] Phone: 732-840-9028 Fax: 732-840-9757 Erik Peterson (R23) [email protected] Phone: 908-238-0251 Fax: 908-238-0256 David P. Rible (R30) [email protected] Phone: 732-974-0400 Fax: 732-974-2564 Bonnie Watson Coleman (D15) [email protected] Phone: 609-292-0500 Fax: 609-633-2179 Please make sure that they hear your voice. Don't give them an excuse to say that they didn't know how we feel about this. Frank Jack Fiamingo President - NJ2AS NOW IS THE TIME!!!
June 5, 201313 yr I really wish they would schedule these at night so I could make it to them, but I guess the whole point is to schedule them when it is the most inconvenient for opponents of the bills.
June 6, 201313 yr It's over. You can listen to the audio recording here: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/media/live_audio.asp
June 7, 201313 yr Sweeney FID Bill Stalls in Assembly Committee In a dramatic upset in the timing of the "centerpiece" of the Democrats' gun bill package, the New Jersey Assembly Law & Public Safety Committee today failed to muster enough votes to pass S2723/A4182 out of committee. In a stunning turn of events, it became apparent during a roll call vote that there were not a sufficient number of Democratic votes for the bill. Rather than complete the roll call as required by legislative rules, chaos and confusion ensued as the committee chairman and staffers halted the proceedings mid-roll- call and huddled in an adjacent room while they figured out what to do. Republican members of the committee protested the unprecedented procedure and argued with the chairman. Rather than completing the embarrassing vote, the chairman made a face-saving announcement that the bill was being "held" for further amendment at a future meeting. It is highly irregular, and likely against legislative rules, to halt a vote once it has begun. It is anticipated that the bill will resurface at another Assembly committee meeting later this month, where Democrats will use legislative maneuvers to either change the committee members to ensure a favorable outcome, or move the bill through an entirely different committee where they can better control the outcome. "The game is completely rigged in Trenton," said ANJRPC Executive Director Scott Bach. "The Democrats suffered an embarrassing delay today, but they will be back with a vengeance and attempt every procedural trick in the book to ensure the passage of their centerpiece bill." The stalled Sweeney bill throws out existing FID cards and replaces them with either a privacy-invading driver license endorsement or other form of ID; suspends Second Amendment rights without proof of firearms training; imposes a 7-day waiting period for handgun purchases; ends all private sales; and effectively creates a registry of ammunition purchases and long gun sales. Democrats have touted the bill as a national model. Leading up to the unusual committee result, there was sharp testimony from several gun rights activists, including ANJRPC Executive Director Scott Bach, who ripped the bill as "a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist” and "an irrational attack” on gun owners. Bach mocked the suggestion that New Jersey is a "national model” for anything, told legislators to leave responsible gun owners alone, and urged them to pull their "centerpiece” off the table. Apparently, some Democrats agreed. A recording of the hearing can be accessed here (scroll to Thursday, June 6, 2013, then click "listen”). Bach’s full statement is available here. Other bills on the agenda passed out of committee, but those bills have either been previously amended so they only impact criminals, or they do not impact Second Amendment rights. Additional details on today's events will be forthcoming.
June 7, 201313 yr Absolutely amazing. How can anyone have any doubts that this is anything other than pure politics. We know that none of these bills will make a single person in this state one iota safer. But Cryan and the rest have been arguing that all of these gun bills are necessary to save lives. Suddenly, he's concerned about "costs". The entire NJ gun permitting system is an enormous waste of money and resources. Unfortunately, most citizens aren't paying attention and don't care.
June 7, 201313 yr So, Since the vote was stopped, is the bill dead? Per 12:3 of NJ Assembly rules motion during roll call vote, including motion to recess, is a violation. Per 10:22, bills reported by committee in violation of rules shall not be considered for third reading or final action. Per 10:6, each committee may adopt rules for its operation, provided rules are consistent with General Assembly Rules. http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/legislativepub/Rules/... It would seem to be, if they follow their own rules.
June 7, 201313 yr According to a member of the staff in the office of Asm Michael Patrick Carroll, the Republican Parliamentarian, this morning, halting a vote in committee that isn't going the way the Chairman would like is not a violation of the Assembly rules. She said it's done all the time, in order for the Chairman to wrangle votes more to his liking from the members. This delay hopefully will throw a major monkey wrench into the works. All of these legislators would like to get the hell out of dodge and start campaigning to retain their positions of power in the November General election. And at present, there is no future meeting of the Assembly L&PS committee scheduled. But I guess that can change on a moment's notice. The "undetermined cost" of this proposed legislation should, by itself, be reason enough to send this bill directly to hell given the poor state of health of the NJ treasury.
June 7, 201313 yr According to a member of the staff in the office of Asm Michael Patrick Carroll, the Republican Parliamentarian, this morning, halting a vote in committee that isn't going the way the Chairman would like is not a violation of the Assembly rules. She said it's done all the time, in order for the Chairman to wrangle votes more to his liking from the members. That's interesting and good to know.
June 7, 201313 yr Kudos to Scott Bach. One of the best speeches I've heard yet. Same. I appreciate that the committee meetings are fairly pre-scripted, and testimonial statements have little impact. I like that Scott has maintained a respectful and helpful attitude in a frustrating environment. At the end of 5 months of discussions, when S2723 reflects 90% of what Ceasefire wanted and 10% of what 1 million gun owners wanted, and 0% of what taxpayers or inner city communities wanted, I especially liked yesterday's message: "On behalf of those 1 million citizens... My message to you today is simple: LEAVE US ALONE!!! We are not responsible for acts of criminal and madmen, and we refuse to be scapegoats. We are tired of being treated like criminals."
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