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发帖数: 29846 | 1 Christie vetoes 3 gun-control bills
By Matt Katz, Inquirer Trenton Bureau
Posted: August 18, 2013
Gov. Christie rejected three major pieces of gun-control legislation Friday
that Democrats passed following last year's fatal school shootings in
Connecticut.
Despite proposing a ban on purchases of the Barrett .50-caliber gun and
similar weapons in April, Christie vetoed a bill that would have done just
that.
He said Friday that the bill went too far, in that it would have
criminalized current and future ownership of all .50-caliber guns, which
have never been used in crimes in New Jersey, but are used by marksmen for
long-range, precision shooting.
Christie also vetoed - and returned to the Legislature with dozens of
suggested changes - a bill that would have created a background-check system
to keep guns out of the hands of those who aren't allowed to own them, such
as the mentally ill.
The bill would have encoded gun-permit information on driver's licenses,
created a database to allow gun dealers to instantly check whether a person
is qualified to buy a firearm, required gun owners to complete a safety-
training course, and stiffened penalties for adults who let minors access
weapons.
Christie said legislators ignored his task force's broad recommendations to
address the root causes and effects of violence on society and, instead,
focused on gun control.
"We should focus our collective efforts . . . on hidden dangers in our
everyday entertainment, not merely obvious hazards; on the sometimes
upsetting and difficult dimensions of mental illness that are easier ignored
than confronted," Christie said in his veto message. "Portions of this bill
. . . all meet those goals. But we must be willing to do more."
Christie said he supports the idea of a firearms ID card, but the Democrats'
proposal creating such a system was not feasible because the technology
doesn't exist to create it, and legislators failed to identify ways to pay
for it.
How Christie handled the antigun bills was widely viewed in the national
press as an indication of how he would balance his campaign for reelection
in largely Democratic New Jersey and his political future in a possible
Republican presidential primary, where pro-gun voters dominate.
The Republican governor acted on the bills at what is considered a dead time
for media coverage - Friday night - which furthered the view among
political observers that he sought to appeal to national Republicans down
the road while avoiding much immediate publicity for the vetoes within the
state.
Moments after Christie's vetoes came down, Monmouth University pollster
Patrick Murray tweeted: "Which governor 'announced' today that he's running
for the GOP nomination in 2016? [Gov. Christie], of course!"
A group called Pro-Gun New Hampshire had lobbied against the bills that
Christie vetoed, noting that the state is among the first to vote in
Republican primaries. The group instructed supporters: "Tell him you're
watching with 2016 in mind."
Democratic anger at Christie's actions was swift.
"Today is a dark day for New Jersey," Assemblyman Louis Greenwald (D.,
Camden) said in a statement. "With the stroke of his veto pen, Chris
Christie has put New Jersey communities at risk of serious gun violence."
Greenwald said that Christie "has put his national political ambitions ahead
of protecting New Jersey's families from being ripped apart by senseless
gun violence."
Added Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D., Essex), in a statement: "Instead
of doing what's right for New Jersey, he bowed to the pressures of his
political party."
Christie's opponent in the November election, State Sen. Barbara Buono (D.,
Middlesex), issued a statement saying that Christie "has made his priorities
clear - the wishes of right-wing, fringe Republicans in Iowa and New
Hampshire are more important than protecting children and families in the
Garden State."
She added: "He assumes that he will be leaving New Jersey for Washington, D.
C., and is therefore willing to let citizens, law enforcement and
legislators in the streets of Newark, Trenton and Camden deal with the
consequences of today's decision."
In Christie's third veto, he sent a bill back to the Legislature that would
have required law-enforcement officers to report information on missing guns
to federal databases. He said he wanted legislators to make a "minor change
" that would not codify a provision allowing public disclosure of federal
ballistics data. He said that provision would violate federal law.
Christie did sign one gun bill into law, which would create a school-
violence task force.
Earlier this month, Christie signed 10 mostly noncontroversial gun bills
into law.
Other guns bills have stalled in the Legislature, such as a proposal to
limit firearms magazines to 10 rounds rather than the current maximum of 15. |
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