By David Cruz
NJ Today
There is general consensus that guns are proliferating at a dangerous rate across New Jersey. You only have to count the cache of firearms turned in as part of a buyback in Camden last month to see what’s out there in just one small city. But regulating guns will prove to be difficult, especially in a state that already has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the country. None the less, 18 bills were introduced in the state legislature this week, including some that call for home visits and psychological testing. Sen. Shirley Turner, who has put up her own gun regulation bills in the past, says getting effective regulations passed, is no simple matter.
“The NRA, they are a very powerful lobbying group in this country and this state, and it’s hard,” she said, adding, “You know people cling to their guns more tightly than their Bibles. I’m sure some of the clergy here unfortunately see that as well.”
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Turner was speaking at a press conference today with Attorney General Jeff Chiesa, who announced another gun buyback, this one in Trenton and Mercer County. Chiesa, who was able to get more than 1,000 guns off the streets with the Camden buyback last month, acknowledged that the program is not a panacea, but simply one weapon in an arsenal.
“I don’t see this program as a absolute solution to the problem,” said Chiesa. “I view the program as part of a strategy to bring attention to this issue, to use our resources to make our streets and our cities safer, and as I said earlier, every gun that we buy back is one less gun that could potentially hurt somebody.”
Until now, gun regulations have not been a top legislative priority in New Jersey, but in light of events in Newtown, Conn., lawmakers seemed forced to propose a response. Assemblyman Jon Bramnick says he understands that, but regulations alone aren’t the answer.
“It’s easy to put in a bill that says we just need more regulations to guns,” said Bramnick. “It’s much more difficult to try to understand this problem of violence.”
That’s a similar theme to the one Gov. Chris Christie was sounding when he made the rounds of the morning talk shows yesterday, avoiding answering questions about specifics, like assault weapon bans and ammunition clips. Vice President Joe Biden met with representatives of the NRA and Walmart today as part of a national effort to regulate firearms, keeping the issue on the nation’s front burner.
Legislation — especially legislation pegged to current events like, in this case the shootings in Newtown — tend to generate headlines and then fade away, but sponsors and supporters of these bills say this time will be different, that this time the stakes are too high to simply just talk about making change.