On August 16, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) vetoed some gun bills and sent others back to the state legislature with “recommendations.” One such recommendation is “requiring a New Jersey firearms identification card for the purchase of all ammunition.”
Christie also wants physicians and screeners overseeing involuntary commitments to inquire about firearm ownership. This information could be obtained through a provision in the bills for a firearms identification card.
Christie vetoed the .50 caliber rifle ban, saying he wanted to ban long range Barrett .50 calibers, not all .50 calibers in general.
He also vetoed a bill aimed at overhauling the state’s gun permit system.
The bill, sponsored by Senate President Steve Sweeney (D), would link a digital smartcard to all firearms purchases and law enforcement records. Access to the card would be available to state police, the Motor Vehicle department, mental health facilities, and ammunition retailers.
Christie said the technology for a “smart card” does not even exist. He likened the card to a “smart gun” requirement proposed in 2002, saying that smart gun technology is still not here, 11 years after it was proposed as a law.
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