Revamped N.J. smart gun bill advances after drawing fire from opponents

By Patriot Outdoor News

Opponents and the author of New Jersey’s controversial 13-year-old smart gun law, widely blamed for holding up the development of weapons that can only be fired by their owners, agreed on one thing Monday: The law needs to be scrapped.

But while state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) has a new bill to replace it with an edict that retailers stock at least one smart gun model — which cleared a key Senate committee on Monday — gun advocates argued that repealing the law entirely would spark interest in the weapon’s technology.

“Our message is simple: If you want this technology to develop, take the mandates out,” Scott Bach, executive director of the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol clubs told the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee. “Take government hands off the process and let the technology develop naturally. Let’s see if there’s a market.”

Weinberg’s 2002 law required New Jersey firearms dealers to sell only smart guns three years after they’re available on the market. The aim of the law was to stem accidental shootings and “child proof” the weapons.

But it had unintended consequences, and while the state law boosted investment in developing smart gun technology, the guns …Read the Rest

Source:: Patriot Outdoor News