We have yet another news story from New Jersey, taken to task by Armed and Safe, selling the .50 caliber ban as an enhancement of gun rights, because it would allow reenactors to carry large caliber muskets, which are now illegal in New Jersey.
Sorry no. An enhancement would just be repealing the ban on large bore muskets, which is stupid to begin with. An enhancement doesn’t involve trading one stupid gun ban for another stupid gun ban.
The way they talk about, and write about this Bill, it makes it sound like even .50cal handguns can shoot 2000 yards. And what’s scary is that Joe Blow newspaper reader will believe it.
There used to be this little gun shop in Delran, New Jersey on Route 130. I think I went in there only twice in my whole life before it closed down about three years ago – once when I was a teenager with my dad back in the day, and once just a few months before it closed down for good.
On my more recent visit, which was to merely browse around since I had not been in there for such a long time, I tried to get the owner to concede to my assertion that New Jersey had to be about one of the most hostile states in the nation towards businesses which sell firearms and their customers, due to all the laws on the books. The owner did not seem quite willing to agree with me. He was more of the viewpoint that while the laws were stricter than other states, they were still reasonable enough for him to maintain a viable and profitable business.
This shop had a full range of merchandise in stock and on display – rifles, shotguns, and handguns, plus shelves behind the counter for all the various sorts of ammunition. There were no “assault” firearms there of course, such as the AR-15 or Ruger Mini-14, but I did notice that his glass counter top showcase had a .50 caliber Smith & Wesson Model 500 revolver with rather lengthy barrel on prominent display front and centered, flanked by several less expensive and lower-caliber handguns on each side. There was also a flintlock .54 caliber Kentucky rifle among the other long guns behind the counter. As I left, I grabbed the owner’s business card. He had himself billed on there as a specialist in custom cartridge reloads.
If this shop was still open, I’d love to ask this guy how he feels now, being that New Jersey is trying to ban .50 caliber firearms, more than one handgun per month purchases, and the prospect of bullet serialization laws have become more than just idle speculation in the past year, of which New Jersey will likely try to introduce its own version thereof.
It’s the New Freedom.
Wait, what’s this about “now illegal”?