A federal judge has dealt another blow to Gov. Phil Murphy’s latest gun control law by blocking certain parts of a law limiting concealed carry from being enforced. Gun rights advocates are challenging the constitutionality of a law Murphy signed in December that bans guns in dozens of so-called sensitive places in New Jersey. On Tuesday, U.S. District Court judge Renée Marie Bumb issued a preliminary injunction allowing concealed firearms to be carried in several of those “sensitive places” where the state has attempted to block them, including parks, beaches, bars, libraries, zoos and public gatherings. Individual businesses and homeowners are still able to decide whether or not they’ll allow firearms on their property.
Attorney General Matt Platkin Tuesday called the decision “devastating for public safety” and “bad constitutional law and bad for New Jersey,” vowing to immediately appeal. The ruling will stand while the case winds its way through the legal system, likely up to the U.S. Supreme Court.
