A gun restriction measure that was approved and signed into law in June has been made public in New Jersey. They recently released an article by lawyer Evan Nappen who carefully analyzed the statute and found that, whether on purpose or not, it actually represents the largest gun restriction ever imposed in certain parts of the United States.
The bill’s stated goal was to make unregistered guns illegal. It forbade the use of homemade weapons, 3D-printed weapons, and even the ownership of computer software necessary to operate a 3D printer or CNC machine used to produce firearms. It even made slingshots illegal.
Additionally, this law was badly worded, just like many others that are passed at all levels of government. It is therefore comprehensive.
A firearm must have a serial number and the serial number must have been stamped by a federally authorized firearm manufacturer in order for the gun to be legal in New Jersey.
Your Daisy BB gun, which is regarded as a firearm under the state’s dumb rules, may have a serial number, but Daisy isn’t a federally registered gun manufacturer. Due to the Red Ryder in your children’s closet, you are now a felon.
But the ramifications go much further than that. Consider all pre-1968 firearms that New Jersey residents may have. The Garand that grandfather returned with from the European conflict? Felony. Your uncle bought a duck gun in 1955 and left it to you in his will, but you’re now a felon.
Air guns, pellet guns, CO2 guns, muzzleloaders, and black powder guns are all regarded as firearms under the state’s godawful gun regulations. They are prohibited if they lack serial numbers that were imprinted by a gun manufacturer that holds a federal license. Technically, the Canik TP9, which is produced in a plant in Turkey but is currently approved federally by the US government, is likewise prohibited. Yeah.
According to Nappen, it is illegal to possess, sell, transfer, or even dispose of firearms that are prohibited by the law. That means a neighborhood gun shop that sells undistributed airsoft guns, muzzleloaders, or firearms made before 1968 has likewise broken the law. If they attempt to get rid of them, it will be another crime.
Here is more from Ammoland’s article with Mr. Nappen:
There are NO exceptions and there is NO grandfathering. This was the largest gun ban ever passed in the history of the United States.
The law bans ALL firearms with a “…firearm frame or firearm receiver …which is not imprinted with a serial number registered with a federally licensed manufacturer…”
The term “firearm frame or firearm receiver” means the part of a firearm that provides housing for the internal components.
It won’t necessarily be easy to tell what guns are legal and what guns aren’t, either.
Determining whether your firearm was made by a federally licensed manufacturer is difficult and will require research of each specific firearm. Of course, some guns are obviously made by U.S. licensed manufacturers, such as Smith & Wesson, Colt, Ruger, Winchester, Remington, etc. Many other firearms, particularly those that were imported, might or might not have federal manufacturing licenses for other models of guns that they make.
Nappen believes it is more possible that regulations covering products they are uninformed of and don’t comprehend were written as a result. Or perhaps it was purposefully made as ambiguous as possible to make things difficult for the state’s gun owners.
No law enforcement organization has attempted to enforce any of this to date. That’s probably because they are unaware of the true effects of the legislation that has been approved. But it’s crucial to inform the numerous law-abiding gun owners who reside in Garden State that they are now felons as a result of the administration they voted for and support. The only issue is which individuals will be “lucky” enough to be used as test cases and be the first to be prosecuted.