By: Sarah Johnson
This week we will take a closer look at two different New Jersey bills that have been trending relating to firearms, ammunition and people’s access to these different items. Over the span of 2018 we saw a lot of trending legislation pertaining to the regulation of firearms; we assume this trend will continue in 2019, as public outcry for (and against) legislation addressing access to firearms and tools which make the weapons more dangerous continues to make the news. For more information on other legislation relating to firearms, you can read this Closer Look at Lethal Protection Orders and this post about general firearm legislation relating to school shootings from earlier in 2018. The two bills we will look at in this Closer Look are NJ A2761 (S102) and NJ A4304. NJ A4304 was introduced and passed to address an issue from NJ A2761.
What Does A2761 Say?
NJ A2761 bans magazines in New Jersey that hold more than 10 rounds. The bill gives a 180-day “grace period” for people to turn in large magazines that are over the legal limit. There is a grandfather in for people who legally owned a firearm with an unmodifiable fixed magazine capacity of up to 15 rounds or a firearm that only accepts an unmodifiable detachable magazine of up to 15 rounds prior to the effective date of the bill, but they have to register the grandfathered firearm with their local law enforcement agency.
The legislation outlined certain exceptions for current law enforcement who are on-duty, traveling to or from duty and retired law enforcement, it did not, however, address active off duty officers. The way the law is written makes police officers abide by the same magazine capacity restrictions as everyone else in New Jersey while carrying off duty. Most police service weapons use magazines containing 12 to 17 rounds. Most police officers carry their weapons when they are off duty, creating a major issue for them. After this issue gained public notice, the legislator proposed NJ A4304 to correct it.
What Does A4304 Say?
NJ A4304 is a bill proposed in June of 2018 which addressed law enforcement officers’ ability to possess and carry certain ammunition magazines while on and off duty. The bill allows off-duty officers in New Jersey to have a detachable magazine loaded with as many as 17-rounds of ammunition in their possession for a state issued-weapon, going beyond the newly imposed 10-round limit. The bill will now “allow a law enforcement officer to possess and carry while off-duty a large capacity ammunition magazine capable of holding 17 rounds of ammunition or less.” It also allows off-duty police to possess a larger magazine “provided it is used with the officer’s service firearm issued by the officer’s employer.”
Other New Jersey Gun Legislation from 2018
New Jersey passed many bills in 2018 relating to gun control. Here is a list of other pro-gun control legislation passed relating to many different areas of gun control like:
- Reduce magazine capacity
- Ban armor-piercing bullets
- Make it tougher to obtain a permit to carry a handgun
- Expand background checks on private gun sales
- Keep firearms out of the hands of people deemed a threat to themselves and others in the state
Cover Photo by Tom Def on Unsplash
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