Motion for Summary Judgement Filed in New Jersey Case

From ANJRPC, the motion can be found here. Reading through it with my layman’s eyes, it looks very well done and thorough. They go to great length to distinguish New Jersey’s law from California’s (which was upheld by a District Court earlier) and I think deal quite effectively with existing precedent in the Circuit on obliterated serial numbers, which applied intermediate scrutiny. Obviously the plaintiffs in this case are calling for strict scrutiny to be applied. It also hits to the heart of the issue here, if I may quote from the motion:

The additional articulated components of the “need” requirement are similarly overbroad and impermissible. The requirement that citizens “corroborate the existence of any specific threats or previous attacks by reference to reports of such incidents to the appropriate law enforcement agencies” is entirely irrational. Individuals victimized once may never be victimized again, and an individual’s first encounter with a violent criminal may well lead to death or seriously bodily harm – before he or she can even articulate the “need.” The right to self-defense at the core of the Second Amendment does not depend for its existence on a history of previous victimization. The Second Amendment provides that individuals – not the State – retain the ability to decide whether their own “necessity for self-protection” necessitates being armed.

We’ll see how this goes. We should know soon how the judge will rule on this motion. Obviously, the State of New Jersey will be filing a motion for summary judgement from the other point of view.

Chris Christie Does the Right Thing

Brian Aitken’s sentence has been commuted by Governor Christie. He’ll be able to spend Christmas with his family. I believe this means the convictions stand, but those can be challenged on appeal.

UPDATE: From Evan Nappen:

Today is a great day for Brian Aitken, his family and for gun owners across the nation. This is the first time in the history of our country that someone serving a prison sentence for a gun possession offense has been granted clemency by a governor. Thank you Governor Christie for having the courage and wisdom to do so.

For those arguing that Christie wimped out for not giving a full pardon, keep in mind that he wasn’t asked for one. Accepting a pardon requires you to first admit guilt for what was done. For Brian to get his named cleared, he needs to appeal the conviction. Because the conviction stands his appeal survives. A pardon would moot it.

Another Daily News Piece on Brian Aitken

This one is very sympathetic. At this point, it’s pretty clear that Governor Christie has the cover necessary to do the right thing. Governors hate this kind of thing, no matter what the issue. You don’t want to pardon a guy then have some 14 year old girl come out two weeks later and say she got knocked up by the guy you just pardoned, or have him go our and rob a bank. That’s largely why the clemency process has been formalized in most states, and delegated to boards to keep Governors away from it.

So I would hope that folks will keep the pressure on Christie’s office, but be patient. His people are likely going to have to dig to see what they can find, lest reporters find it later (and they will look). If I had to bet, I would bet Christie will commute his sentence, but leave the conviction itself intact for an appeal. That would be the least politically risky move from the Governor’s point of view, and would accomplish the goal of getting Brian out of jail. Christie can also use the excuse that it’s just not fair to the taxpayers to spend tens of thousands of dollars every year to keep this guy behind bars.

Governor Christie on Brian Aitken

There’s been a lot of news in the Brian Aitken case lately. First there was a rally planned, then there wasn’t a rally planned. Then people started speculating what was up. I’ve been trying to get information on what’s going on. People are being very tight lipped, but there are many people working to get this guy some justice, and not all of it can be publicly broadcast. Governor Christie has this to say about the petition for clemency:

Needless to say this is a delicate matter. Anyone who’s followed Gov. Christie knows this isn’t a guy you can just push around. I’d like to think the Governor wants to do the right thing here, and issue a pardon, but wants to make sure he has his ducks lined up. The fact that this has appeared on the Governor’s own YouTube channel is hopefully a positive sign that he is at least taking this matter under serious consideration. Let us hope he does the right thing.

Hat Tip to Ian Argent

Fred Madden Throws A Rotten Bone

You remember Fred Madden? The New Jersey State Senator who rolled over for Governor Corzine to bring one-gun-a-month to the Garden State? Well, apparently he’s come up with a considerably less than ideal solution that doesn’t even begin to make up for it. Fred Madden is up for re-election in 2011. Gun owners in New Jersey need to show they can target an unseat someone like Madden. You only need a few heads on a pike before the politicians there start listening.

How Pro Second Amendment is Chris Christie?

I never had very high expectations from Chris Christie on the gun issue. New Jersey has a one of the lowest rates of gun ownership in the country, and it’s part of both the New York and Philadelphia media markets, neither of which are known for gun friendliness. But the recent Brian Atkins case has people talking whether a pardon is in the cards:

As for Christie, he seems to have learned a lesson from that loss. By the time he ran for governor last year, he had adopted the position that politicians traditionally adopt when they really, really wish the gun issue would just go away: He said he wouldn’t seek new laws, but would enforce current laws.

That’s not good enough for gun lovers, and the case of Brian Aitken shows why. Aitken, a media consultant in his mid-20s, was a normal, law-abiding citizen until January of last year. That’s when he moved back to his native New Jersey from Colorado, where he had lived for several years.

It should cost Christie nothing to pardon this guy. I’d be surprised if 10% of New Jerseyans think justice is served keeping that guy in prison. The big risk Christie faces is a Democratic opponent attacking him for “pardoning a mentally unstable man for carrying illegal guns, deadly ammunition, and high capacity magazines,” which unlike other states will actually work in New Jersey on people who are ignorant of Aitken’s plea. But given the Philadelphia media’s sympathetic coverage, I would say this makes it safe politically. It’s an non-controversial, visible way that Governor Christie and stand with us. If you believe in the right to bear arms, even if you believe that right is restricted to the home, that right necessarily has to cover moving arms between residences.

Surprising Daily News Coverage of Brian Aitken

I’ve never seen the Philadelphia media cover a railroaded gun owner so favorably. Fortunately, the Judge who railroaded Aitken was dismissed by the Christie Administration, but the right thing for Christie to do here is to pardon him. I’m relatively appalled the jury, who clearly wanted to find this guy innocent, didn’t just do so, ignoring the judges instructions. I’d hang a jury as long as it took to either get them to relent or at least get the guy a mistrial.

But I’m equally appalled at the attitude of Bryan Miller, even if I’m not surprised. From the Daily News Article:

“What little I can glean about the transportation issue leaves me puzzled, but a person with common sense would not be moving illegal products from one place to another by car,” said Bryan Miller, executive director of CeaseFire NJ, an organization devoted to reducing gun violence.

“If Mr. Aitken did the research he said he did, he would not have hollow-point bullets and large-capacity magazines in the vehicle,” Miller said. “They are illegal, period.”

I say not surprised because I decided years ago Miller wasn’t someone who disagreed in good faith. The guy hates gun owners. He’s a textbook bigot. It’s just common sense, you see, when New Jersey is the only state in the nation which has any kind of restrictions on hollow point ammunition, and if Aitken was moving, he fell under the exception anyway. The big crime they nailed him on was merely having the pistols in the trunk of his car. As far as Miller is concerned, it’s just another gun owner in jail where he belongs. What a hate filled man.

Don’t Feed the Bears

Apparently some folks are upset about a bear named Bozo being killed during this year five day archery bear season, after a man fed the bear for 17 years. As far as I’m concerned the hunters performed a public service, and the guy who fed him needs to stop his whining and be thankful he’s not getting fined. Wild animals habituated to being fed by humans are potentially dangerous.

New Jersey is finally going ahead with a bear hunt after several years of not having one, due to Corzine caving to animal rights whack jobs. I expect this coming bear hunt is going to be protested.

More on the New Jersey Suit

Commenter Patrick noticed that this lawsuit against the State of New Jersey is a facial challenge, rather than an as applied challenge. Meaning the argument is that the law is wrong in all circumstances. Read his entire analysis. One thing I’d add, though cautiously, because I’m not sure about this, is if sections of New Jersey’s carry laws are  found facially unconstitutional, the law is essentially treated like it never existed:

The general rule is that an unconstitutional statute, though having the form and the name of law, is in reality no law, but is wholly void and ineffective for any purpose since unconstitutionality dates from the time of its enactment and not merely from the date of the decision so branding it; an unconstitutional law, in legal contemplation, is as inoperative as if it had never been passed … An unconstitutional law is void.

Since the facial challenge only applies to a few sections of New Jersey’s carry laws (which you could get slapped with if you stop by a Starbucks drive through for some coffee on the way to a match), I don’t think it will affect people who have been convicted for carrying without a license in New Jersey, nor make it suddenly lawful to carry a firearm in the Garden State. But New Jersey law does provide for issuance to non-residents, and you can bet I’ll be the first in line to apply if that ends up being the case. What I don’t know if whether someone could then challenge his conviction as-applied if the current permitting statutes are found unconstitutional.