CemeteryCAS points to an article in the Trenton Times talking about the ban on firearms over a certain caliber that’s been up for debate in New Jersey. Interestingly enough, I shoot indoor silhouette on Thursdays with the guy that wrote the article:
In response to calls, faxes and emails, on Nov. 17 the New Jersey Assembly delayed passage of A2116 (banning most firearms of .50 caliber or larger) and instead is in the process of amending the legislation in an attempt to respond to gun- owner concerns. The amended bill could be considered by the full Assembly as early as December. With no statistics to justify such a ban, and all the negative things that it would do, we can only hope that the state legislators will have a case of common sense and scrap the bill.
Trenton is itching to ban something. That’s just how the roll over there. Time has passed, and it’s time to screw gun owners once again. Bryan Miller demands it! But we’ve killed this before, and we might be able to kill it again.
Why don’t they pass a bill that would ban stupid bills?
Because then legislators would have nothing to do.
Since I was passing through the area, I stopped off at “Harry’s Army and Navy” in Robbinsville, New Jersey, earlier today. This store is supposedly one of the largest gun and ammunition retailers in South and Central New Jersey. (At least that’s what a few people have told me before.)
Did I see any .50 caliber rifles, like the Barrett M82 or M107, for sale there?
No.
Were there any .50 BMG cartridges, or even .416 Barrett cartridges, on the ammunition shelves there?
No. (The largest caliber rifle cartridges that I could even recall seeing on the shelf were some boxes of .338 Federal.)
When I tried to ask some questions about .50 caliber rifles and ammunition there, none of this store’s employees were of any much help, either.
It was almost as if rifles like the Barrett M82 are already illegal in New Jersey in the minds of these people.
I also noticed that this store also did not have any “New Jersey legal” semi-automatic rifles for sale, like the AR-15 or the Ruger Mini-14. There were “airsoft” replica versions of the M4 carbine and the M-14 rifle in another part of the store, however. I then later found it just a bit ironic to see that there were some Army technical manuals on the M-1 Garand and the M-1 Carbine for sale on one shelf, but no actual M-1 Garands or M-1 Carbines being sold in the gun department of this store.
Is it just me, or does going to gun stores in New Jersey seem like some type of trip to a parallel universe?
M-1 Carbines count as assault weapons in NJ. (If I remember correctly.)
Well, weren’t there some reproductions of the M-1 Carbine made for the civilian market by Iver Johnson that lacked bayonet lugs and flash suppressors? As long as the magazine had a 15-round or lower capacity, wouldn’t that make such a rifle legal in New Jersey?
Unlike the M1A1 Carbine paratrooper model with the folding butt stock, M-1 Carbines also normally don’t have pistol grips, either, because otherwise, they could be used to “spray shoot” from the hip, that is, if we were to believe people like Bryan Miller, which is of course never going to be an option as far as I am concerned.
Anyway, I guess the point I was trying to make above is that going to just about any gun store in New Jersey now seems to be a rather depressing experience – at least for me it is. I find it quite appalling that a gun store which also calls itself “Army and Navy” doesn’t even sell approximations of some of the guns which were in military service some 66 to 70 years ago.
I just traveled out of NJ to visit family for the holidays; and had a cognitive dissonance moment in Dick’s Sporting Goods. My father and I are going to the range – I’m supplying the ammo and range fees, he’s supplying the guns. Walked back to the gun section, asked if they had some .22 LR, spent a couple of minutes discussing what I should get for plinking out of a handgun, and then he handed me a 500-round box and I walked up to the front counter to pay. I was a bit bemused – while I’m not from NJ originally, I’ve been there long enough that this subconciously was way too easy (and AMEN to that – I hate how difficult it is in NJ to get into the shooting sports).
I wish I had gotten a picture of the 2 pink rifles to annoy my wife with.
Speaking of Dick’s Sporting Goods, I was up at the Oxford Valley store of that enterprise in Falls Township, PA, early this morning for their “Black Friday” sale.
All ammunition there was being sold on a “buy one box, get the second box at half price” basis from 5 AM until 2 PM. The purchase limit was supposed to be just six boxes per customer, but the employees were also telling us all to just pay for our purchases first and then come right back if we needed more. That’s precisely what I did, and I could see that I was not the only one, either.
I have never seen so many people buying ammunition in bulk at a retail sales store like I did today – I’m talking about shopping carts being used here just to carry it all to the check-out aisles up at the front of the store.
I don’t care what anybody says – what I saw today tells me that there are plenty of folks out there who are hip to what an Obama administration might mean not only to the availability and affordability of guns, but ammunition also.
Since I just looked it up – NJ AW ban is by list of weapons “or substantially similar”. Includes the AR-15, M1 Carbine, and a couple of Mini-14 variants (among others – the list is ginormous).
I can only hope that we get Incorporation quickly.
ar15s are legal to own here,i have one.they just cannot have the so called “evil features” if you want to see cool semi-autos like ar’s and mini14s for sale try tips hardware in westcreek,nj.they have them in stock,they might also have saigas.i’ve heard some things about harrys.sposesdly they’d only give a damn to help you if you want to buy somthin like a 3000$ shotgun or hunting rifle lol.and i’ve seen a barret 50 cal rifle at shoreshot in lakewood.its an indoor range and gunshop.they might also carry ar’s,a nice selection of pistols,and some other rifles n shotguns.