By JOHN PICINICH
ANALYSIS
SWAINTON – Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-1st) showed his support for Second Amendment rights for citizens of Cape May County and New Jersey June 19.
Before a standing-room-only crowd of 150-plus pro Second Amendment supporters at Avalon Golf Club, Van Drew was guest speaker for The New Jersey Second Amendment Society (NJ2AS).
The NJ2AS is a group off proactive Second Amendment supporters in the state that are standing up for their constitutional right to bear arms. One of their most recent campaigns “Fix the NICS” put pressure on the New Jersey State Police to address and fix the backlog of background checks that takes 15 minutes in 49 other states, but was taking up to two weeks in New Jersey. It was a success.
If anyone obtained their New Jersey firearms permit, which is not supposed to take longer than 30 days, but exceeds that in almost every case, they can take their firearm home the same day they purchase it instead of waiting an additional two weeks for the NICS check. Such background checks are done by the local police department to insure the applicant is not a criminal, does not have any mental health issues, and is lawful to purchase and own a firearm.
The NJ2AS also plains to address the longer-than-average time it takes to obtain permits. In some cases it has been taking up to six months to obtain the permit in some municipalities in the state.
Van Drew was joined by Assemblyman Bob Andrzejczak (D-1st). Andrzejczak is a veteran who served the country and lost his leg in Iraq. As such, he swore, to defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. To some that might not mean much, but to others it means everything, and judging by the standing ovation he received after being introduced the people in that room appreciated it.
The topics of discussion ranged from new laws that are being supported by VanDrew and Andrzejczak to unconstitutional laws moving through the state Legislature, and the revival of the right to conceal carry a weapon in the state.
One of the bills being proposed is the deviation law. In New Jersey if anyone is pulled over with an unloaded, locked firearm, with ammo stored separately, after they are on the way back from the firing range it is a crime. The current law states that if anyone is traveling with a firearm they must drive directly from their residence to the range and directly back home.
If they are pulled over deviating from that, with a properly stored firearm, it is a crime. Van Drew plans on new legislation that would make it noncriminal to stop and use the restroom, or have to change one’s route in case of an emergency or other family matter. Law-abiding gun owners are not criminals and must stop being treated as such.
One of the questions directed at Van Drew was concern about the Sweeney bill.
This is a very controversial bill which targets gun owners and violates their amendment rights, not only the Second but the Fourth as well. This bill wants to put gun owner status on one’s driver’s license. This raises many concerns.
First and foremost it violates the right to privacy; it also threatens a person and the public because of identity theft, and if that information was obtained what the wrong person could do with it.
Many citizens and politicians, including Van Drew and Andrzejczak, disapprove.
Last week the bill was voted on by the Law and Public Safety Committee where it was being voted “no.” Upon the realization that the bill would not pass because there was a majority of no votes, the vote was suspended mid vote by the chairmen of the committee, Charles Mainor.
The bill was then removed from that forum and placed in a Budget Committee where it was passed a few days later.
The people of Cape May County are concerned and proactive in fighting for their rights. Van Drew said it best, “Educate!” The citizens need to educate the public on these issues so people can make informed decisions based on facts not fear.
A great example of this is concealed carry of a firearm by citizens. In all states that have such laws the crime rate is significantly lower than states that do not. A criminal who wants to rob a bank or commit any other crime certainly has to think twice, not knowing if his victim or any other citizen around them has a fire arm in their possession.
An armed citizen is the best deterrent against criminal activity. According to the Bill of Rights gun ownership is a God given right of the people, it is not a privilege granted by government or man.
“The right of the people to bear arms shall not be infringed.” The fight for freedom and liberty never stops and to become complacent in a time when more and more of our rights are being taken is very un-American, especially when the powers that be use fear to obtain that goal.
I’ll leave the readers with a quote from a true American, Patrick Henry. “The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people; it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government.”
