March
4, 2005--The passage of a ban in California on .50 caliber rifles
appears to have started a "domino effect" in other states.
Only days ago, Illinois jumped on the bandwagon when a ban on
.50 caliber weapons was introduced. (See 2/28/05
Illinois Lawmakers Propose Ban On .50 Caliber Rifles)
New Jersey has now joined the fray, as
a bill authored by state Senator John Adler (Camden) now makes
its way through the legislative process.
Senator Adler's bill--S2261--would add
guns of .50 caliber or greater to the state's list of banned "destructive
devices." Already on that list are military-style semiautomatic
firearms such as the AR15, CETME, and others that were banned
in the 1994 federal "assault weapons" ban.
Where S2261 differs from legislation proposed
in other states is that it bans any guns with a caliber greater
than .50. While antique firearms--those manufacturered before
1898, or replicas--and traditional muzzleloaders are exempted,
modern muzzleloaders are not. Therefore, modern in-line muzzleloaders
with bore diameters larger than .50" would be classified
as destructive devices.
The language of S2261 is also vague enough
that it would appear to ban handguns such as the Desert Eagle,
the Smith and Wesson .500 Magnum, and even the Remington .50 rolling
block. Also affected would be many big game rifles.
S2261 also has the potential to ban shotguns
with bore diameters larger than .50", which would include
12 gauge shotguns.
We have thus far not heard from New Jersey
gun-rights groups on their assessment of the chances of S2261
passing.
However, New Jersey gun owners would do
well to follow the example of their brothers and sisters in Washington
state, and begin calling and writing their legislators now. (See
3/3/05 Washington
State Anti-Gun Bills Die In Committee).
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