Hi Tactical Training Center friends! As we approach the Holiday season, our state legislature has created a series of new or newly modified laws that will affect all law-abiding firearms owners and carry permit holders. I strongly suggest that you read these bills, as they can have substantial impact on your firearms rights if allowed to remain intact. https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2022/S3214/bill-text?f=S3500&n=3214_U2
We all are anticipating that our Second Amendment representative groups will counter these soon to be signed laws. The Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs (A.N.J.R.P.C) seems to be ready with a federal lawsuit. This is good news. I suggest that you read the lawsuit as well. https://www.anjrpc.org/page/CarryLawsuitFilings . We are also hoping that the federal appellate courts act quickly and put a stay to the requirements in the laws.
When reading the law, you will see that many requirements are overly broad, vague and a direct violation of many of our rights, not just our Second Amendment rights. In addition to the overly broad and undefined “prohibited areas”, the law also seems to provide for some permission to be in these areas when carrying a handgun. I found the term “brief, incidental entry onto property” interesting. This seems to allow a carry permit holder onto one of the prohibited areas for a short time. The prohibited areas include the buildings, grounds, or parking areas of the property. So would I be violating the new law by carrying my handgun into my county administration building in order to get a tax map, so I could see where the “prohibited” property lines are located, as long as my time was “brief, incidental entry onto property”? Gosh, I hope there’s not a line of other carry permit holders when at the clerk’s office. And what if I walk along a property line of an allowed area on my right and a prohibited area on my left and my handgun is on my right side? Would that be a violation and does that mean that I have to walk backwards on my way out?
A few other portions of the law made me think as well. The new law says that the permit holder must declare to a law enforcement officer on a traffic stop or other incident that they are carrying a handgun. What if the permit holder is stopped in one of the prohibited areas? Isn’t there a Fifth Amendment that seems to have been forgotten about here? And, am I reading this correct, you’re supposed to secure the handgun in your vehicle and you must secure it in a case, safe, trunk of the vehicle, unloaded of course, which means that you would unload and possibly reload in public? Can I yell, “Thay hello to my leettle frien”, in my best Cuban accent ala Tony Montana as I reload in the parking lot? In yet another section of the new law, it says that a police officer can inspect the gun, if the permit holder is under criminal investigation. Is there a Fourth Amendment (search and seizure) issue that needs to be considered? Would I be out of place if I asked the officer to clean it while they inspected it?
The problem with the law and many others in New Jersey is that it’s not a “workable” law and over-burdens and over-complicates concepts for the citizens, law enforcement and legal system. The new training requirements are required to take place 7 months from now. What we will continue to do at the TTC is provide you with the best training programs and firearms related products. Many of our customers have already received their carry permits. The great news is that it has forced the NJ legislature to recognize that the carrying of a firearm by citizens exists and it is here to stay.
