By David Cruz
NJ Today
Coming as they did — after 6 p.m. on a Friday — Gov. Chris Christie’s vetoes were seen by critics as a rather slippery way for him to avoid being seen by too many voters as a calculating future presidential candidate covering his right flank.
“We recognize Gov. Christie entertains competing ideals,” said Kristin Wald, co-leader of Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense in America. “His dreams of national leadership versus what is best as the elected leader of the Garden State, for instance. And on Friday, those political aspirations proved an insurmountable roadblock to his common sense. Chris Christie has failed his state.”
Among the bills the governor sent back were measures to require police to report information on lost, stolen and discarded guns to federal databases, a ban on 50-caliber rifles — which he initially supported — and an ombudsman bill covering background checks and photo IDs, which Senate President Steve Sweeney said would be “a model” for the nation. Today, Sweeney seemed perplexed.
“I still think it’s a national model and we shouldn’t have walked away from it,” said Sweeney in Trenton this morning. “The governor had his reasons. I’ll look at what he left in it to see if there’s any value going forward, but I really don’t know right now.”
At a political event in Belleville today, Christie avoided reporter questions and his office did not return our requests for comment. But the governor found support for his position from a fellow Republican.
“I thought all three vetoes were well-considered,” said Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll. “Each of the bills, the sponsors had their hearts in the right place but their brains are another matter. These were not good ideas; they were designed to harass law-abiding citizens. They had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with crime and so the governor’s well-considered vetoes are in order.”
Gun control advocates criticized the governor for thinking about his political ambitions and caring little for the ramifications of his actions.
“These are common sense measures that are supported by a majority of citizens in New Jersey,” said Kim Hurdman, the associate political director of BlueWave NJ. “As citizens of New Jersey, we need to ask the governor: are you going to be here representing us four the next four years if you’re reelected or are your priorities elsewhere?”
Democrats and gun control advocates threw the rhetorical book at the governor today, calling his vetoes shameful and cowardly. They could try to override the veto but, so far, when it comes to overrides, Democrats have been shooting blanks.