The school shooting in Connecticut a week ago has inspired passionate debate about gun laws throughout the country, and rightly so. A serious incident like that involving the lost lives of children should push a country to question its status quo.
In New Jersey specifically, gun control advocates argue that the states relatively strict gun laws are not as useful as they could be. Why? Because the states next door have less firearm regulations and prohibited guns are easy to access and get into New Jersey.
At the center of much gun control debate is the legality of assault rifles in the country. Currently, no federal law entirely bans the sales and possession of the type of assault firearm that the shooter used in last week's Newtown killings. The attack, however, has further convinced gun control supporters that assault weapons must be federally outlawed.
New Jersey already has a law against assault firearms, including the type that was used in Newtown. It is a state law, and its neighbor states have not adopted the same ban against the weapons that critics call "weapons of war." The inconsistency in gun laws, some lawmakers argue, makes New Jersey and the U.S. overall more dangerous places where crimes of violence will continue.
It's natural for extreme incidents of violence to lead to conversations about gun laws and the causes of violence. Such crimes can lead to the system being hard on people who maybe unknowingly violate a weapon law. New Jersey is especially tough on suspects with weapons. Visit our Weapons Offenses Attorneypage to learn more about gun laws in the state and how serious a weapon charge can be.
Source: Phillyburbs.com, "Gun control advocates: NJ's assault weapons ban strong but federal ban needed," David Levinsky, Dec. 21, 2012