Oroho, Space, Wirths applaud U.S. Supreme Court upholding the Second Amendment
District 24 Legislators to Use Court Decision to Defend Rights in New Jersey
NEW JERSEY – Senator Steve Oroho and Assemblymen Parker Space and Hal Wirths (all R-Sussex, Warren, Morris) applaud this weeks U.S. Supreme Court decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen which reinforced the right of law-abiding citizens to carry firearms for the protection for themselves and their families in public.
“I believe today will go down as a victory for freedom and that many generations of Americans to come will look upon today as a beacon in defense of liberty,” Oroho said. “Now we have to look towards New Jersey government to do what is right and end their decades-old infringement on New Jersey freedoms.”
New Jersey is an outlier in this regard as 43 States have uniform statewide allowance for concealed carry. Reforming carry permits in New Jersey is especially important because of the backwardness of New Jersey handgun laws – unless you have a concealed carry permit, it is illegal to possess a handgun (unless you fall into a narrow set of exemptions), and you can face mandatory jail time, District 24 Legislators said.
New Jersey’s definition of “justifiable need” and reliance on judges to issue permits has made it impossible for law-abiding citizens to obtain a carry permit. Even Wikipedia calls New Jersey carry law “May-issue (No-issue in practice),” District 24 Legislators said.
“Gun possession by a law-abiding citizen is an individual right enshrined in the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution and was reiterated in the Heller and McDonald United States Supreme Court decisions,” Space said. “Now that right, including the right to self-defense, has been recognized outside the home.”
Oroho, Space and Wirths have always championed the rights of law-abiding gun owners and sportsmen and sportswomen in New Jersey and will continue to do so through their legislative action. They have been the leading opponents of Governor Murphy’s and Democrat legislative leadership’s efforts to pursue more burdensome restrictions on the lawful gun owners. They are also sponsors of legislation to reform New Jersey’s carry laws.
“We need to seriously look at reforming our firearm laws in accordance with the Court’s decisions,” Wirths said. “We are going to be ever vigilant because we do not trust the Governor nor his administration to start doing the right thing. He was the one who infamously stated, ‘the Bill of Rights is above my pay grade.’”
Not only do Oroho, Space and Wirths want to pursue reforms in New Jersey firearms laws, they want to pass legislation to make schools more safe and secure.
“Republicans in both houses have introduced bills to increase school security and safety and the Democrat majority has refused to give them a hearing,” Oroho said. “These bills need to be heard. It was their Governor who cut a half a billion dollars from a bond referendum which could have been used to harden our schools.”
