Law Concerning Law Enforcement Reporting of Gun Seizures Becomes Permanent

One gun control measure Gov. Chris Christie recently vetoed has now been signed into law, following a few modifications, the Governor’s Office announced on Friday.

Christie signed a bill that makes an existing state law that requires law enforcement agencies to report any firearms seized from criminals, recovered in a criminal investigation or found abandoned or discarded permanent.

Last month, Christie conditionally vetoed the legislation. He called for the proposed state regulations to be brought in line with the federal law.

As proposed, Christie says the legislation would’ve violated federal law under the Tiahrt Amendments, a set of amendments proposed by Kansas Governor Todd Tiahrt that made it more difficult for law enforcement officials to aggressively pursue criminals who buy and sell illegal guns.

The part of the proposed legislation that would’ve violated the amendments called for the state to make public gun trace data from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, according to nj.com.

“I’m glad the Legislature acted swiftly to incorporate my commonsense changes so that I can sign this bill and responsibly strengthen New Jersey’s already-tough gun laws,” Christie said in a prepared statement. “This new law will help state and federal law enforcement officials stop guns from getting into the hands of criminals, and help maintain public safety.”

With the passage of bill A-3797, Christie has now signed into legislation all but two proposed regulations to tighten gun control legislation in the state. He vetoed a ban on .50 caliber rifles and a measure that would require that firearms purchase permits be recorded on driver licenses, create instant background checks and mandate gun safety training.

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence recently praised New Jersey’s gun laws as being among the strictest in the country.