Chris Christie Loosens Restrictions: Gun Control Taking Too Many Lives

On April 8 Governor Chris Christie (R) loosened concealed carry restrictions in New Jersey, pointing to the fact that the gun control status quo is taking too many lives in his state.

Christie specifically cited the case of Carol Bowne, who was stabbed to death while unarmed in her own driveway in June 2015. Breitbart News previously reported that Bowne had applied for a gun permit on April 21, 2015, yet on June 3–the day she was allegedly stabbed by an ex-boyfriend–Bowne was still waiting on state’s permission to have a gun for self-defense.

On Friday, Christie announced changes he is making to regulations relating to concealed carry. New Jersey’s Democrat-controlled legislature refused to change so the laws, so “Christie and the state Attorney General’s Office instead moved to make changes through the state regulatory process and through their power to issue law-enforcement directives that apply to all local police departments.”

North Jersey reports that Christie’s biggest change is in loosening the choke-hold that the “justifiable need” requirement has placed on the issuance of concealed carry permits. Current regulations require a concealed applicant to show “justifiable need” and define that as “the urgent necessity for self-protection, as evidenced by specific threats or previous attacks which demonstrate a special danger to the applicant’s life that cannot be avoided by means other than by issuance of a permit to carry a handgun.”

Christie and the Attorney General’s Office are seeking to add three words that will loosen those restrictions.

If the change goes through, it means “justifiable need” would be defined as “the urgent necessity for self-protection, as evidenced by serious threats, specific threats or previous attacks which demonstrate a special danger to the applicant’s life that cannot be avoided by reasonable means other than by issuance of a permit to carry a handgun.”

Christie said, “The terrible tragedy involving Berlin resident Carol Bowne last summer was a jarring example of a permitting system that had failed and needed to be reexamined and fixed.” Moreover, he said his actions to loosen restrictions are a much-needed guarantee that “constitutional rights will be protected and respected in New Jersey.”