Is it an assault/sniper/saturday night special BB gun?
Lawmakers in hell er New Jersey are pushing for legislation to ban pellet guns that look real:
The bill Assemblymen Gary Guear, D-Mercer, and Peter Barnes, D-Middlesex, introduced – which is similar to legislation pending in the state Senate – would ban the sale or possession of any air, gas or spring-powered gun that is designed to look like a real gun.
It also would make the sale of such a device punishable by a fine of as much as $15,000 and five years in prison and possession punishable by a fine of as much as $10,000 and 18 months in prison.
September 19th, 2003 at 12:14 pm
My father-in-law is about as pro-gun as you can get, and I’m pretty sure he supports banning all toy guns. You don’t ever want kids (or adults, for that matter) to learn to make a gun=toy connection.
September 19th, 2003 at 12:16 pm
But i (an adult) should be able to own any toy i want.
September 19th, 2003 at 1:48 pm
I don’t think the Second Amendment protection extends to toy arms. 😉
“A realistic game of Cowboys & Indians, being necessary to the security of ToysRUs stock, the right to keep and bear toys, shall not be abridged.”
September 19th, 2003 at 1:51 pm
Well, i also don’t see a privilege to the government to ban toy guns granted in their either. After all, the constitution doesn’t guarantee rights, it limits government authority.
September 19th, 2003 at 2:16 pm
it limits government authority
And nowhere does it ban the government from limiting toy sales. Especially since this is a state government; the Tenth Amendment allows this. Unless there’s something in the NJ state constituion, I don’t see what the beef is.
Oh, I forgot: laws are bad. 🙂
September 19th, 2003 at 2:22 pm
Police have also shot suspects who appeared to be holding a gun, but who were in fact holding a wallet or cell phone. Do we outlaw wallets and cell phones?
BTW, what do want to bet the proposed penalty for owning a pellet gun will be more severe than for owning a gun illegally? Modern penalties for modern crimes (carjacking, selling crack) are generally more severe than old penalties for old-fashioned crimes (like rape, murder and kidnapping).
September 19th, 2003 at 2:28 pm
And nowhere does it ban the government from limiting toy sales.
But, if you’re a constitutionalist, you presume a right of the people exists before you assume a privilege of the government exists.
And you brought up the second amendment, not me, as such i was comparing it to the constitution of the US not NJ. And the tenth also says or to the people.
I never said laws are, only some are. funny how we selectively follow the bill of rights these days.
September 19th, 2003 at 4:07 pm
“To the states, or to the people” is ordinal. That is, if the states can’t, the people can.
In any case, about the only way “the people” can do what they want, short of a referendum, is to elect people who will do what they want.
I don’t live in Jersey (thank God), but how do we know the people of New Jersey don’t support a toy gun ban?
September 19th, 2003 at 6:47 pm
Actually BB guns, air rifles, pellet rifles, etc… are not strictly toys. In fact Lewis & Clark carried a pnuematic rifle with them when they hiked across the country. In some areas & with a certain power level they can be effecient & legal for hunting (small game & pest control at least).
But this is another example of prior restraint. Some actions &/or objects may be harmful therefore we ban those actions &/or objects on the possibility of poetential harm.
In principle I’m against this type of thing. Besides, I’m in favor of no restrictions on purchase or carry of firearms – BB guns to me are a sub-category & since they are less lethal than firearms generally I have no problem with anyone having one as long as they take responsibility for their actions, not actions they may commit.
April 17th, 2004 at 11:37 am
iam kinda late here but i was looking to buy A
a spring gun that shots pellets. i have been researching these rules and find them a little bit to extreme $10,000 + 18 months in prison,weres a teen or kid or adult going get that kind of money? now since the 9/11 i can see
people getting scared of anything now a days,but seriuosly;how many cases have there been to “those weapons” compared to real armed robberies?
As i recalled seeing someone write something about killing small game or pests,the copper ones could (never tried to shot one before)
butother one THERE PLASTIC! and when they hit a person(so speaking)they only hurt as”depending on fps” matter to a beesting or to a pinch.i had one back in poland and buoght them from a church festival and it didnt kill ne one.
i would like to know more about this topic ne one plz give link.
Who had the saying in this the people or the leg.?
Who first preposed this ban the people or the leg.?