New Jersey Lawmakers Demand Nonexistent 'Smart Guns'
by Susan Jones
The New Jersey Assembly on Monday passed a "Childproof Handgun
Bill" requiring all pistols sold in the state to eventually include
safety features intended to prevent children and other unauthorized people
from firing a weapon.
The bill now returns to the New Jersey Senate, which passed a similar
measure in October. The bill, once reconciled, will go to Gov. Jim
McGreevey, who says he will sign it.
A spokesman for Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence said the
bill requiring "smart gun" technology would have "a
profound impact on the safety of our children for generations to
come."
Brady Campaign is demanding that other states follow New Jersey's lead
in mandating smart-gun technology, which theoretically would allow only
the owner of a gun to fire it.
Guess Who Pays
But supporters of the Second Amendment see such laws as just another
effort to regulate gun sales. They note that smart-gun technology doesn't
even exist yet. When and if it does exist, it would significantly drive up
the price of pistols.
The bill passed Monday requires "smart gun" technology on all
guns sold in New Jersey three years after the technology is developed and
approved by the state attorney general.
Press reports say McGreevey flip-flopped on the bill - at first
opposing it and even working secretly with National Rifle Association
to bottle it up in committee. But when gun-control groups found out, he
had a change of heart, those reports said.
In a statement released Monday, McGreevey said: "This
administration remains committed to keeping dangerous weapons off of our
streets and keeping our communities safe for our children. To that end, we
will continue to support strong, sensible gun laws. I look forward to
signing the smart gun legislation into law."
Even some Democrats who voted for the Childproof Handgun Bill admitted
it's hard to approve something that doesn't exist yet.
But other liberals praised New Jersey lawmakers. Carole Stiller,
president of Million Mom March of New Jersey, said, "It's time
for gun manufacturers to change their ways." According to Stiller,
the bill passed Monday is just the kind of "commonsense"
legislation that will save lives.
But supporters of the Second Amendment say there's no way to make any
gun completely "safe." In fact, some wonder if smart-gun
technology will backfire, making a gun inoperable in cases where
self-defense could mean the difference between life and death.
