Monmouth County Elected Officials: Gun Stores Should Re-Open

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — A trio of elected officials who represent a wide swath of northern Monmouth County are joining an increasing chorus of Republican calls for Gov. Phil Murphy to re-open gun stores in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Shutting down licensed gun retailers is an intrusion of Second Amendment rights, say Senator Declan O’Scanlon, Assemblywoman Serena DiMaso and Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger, all Republican.

Last Saturday, firearms retailers in the Garden State were included in Gov. Murphy's closure of all non-essential retail businesses, the state's most sweeping shutdown order to date. The Monmouth County legislators are now asking Murphy to reconsider, and allow legal gun stores to be deemed an "essential" business.

"In instances of national security, people buy gold and buy guns. If a citizen wants to do so, as long as they are practicing social distancing and proper hand-washing, that shouldn’t be an issue," said all three in a joint statement.

"Licensed firearm stores and other crucial businesses should remain open during state emergencies," they said. "Preserving constitutional rights, even in unprecedented situations, should be seen as a sacred obligation of government."

State Senator Mike Doherty, a fellow Republican who represents western Hunterdon and Somerset counties in Trenton, gave more practical reasons.

“In many rural areas that have no local police, people can wait an hour or longer for the State Police to respond to a call for help even in the best of times,” said Doherty. “What’s going to happen when more police departments, including the State Police, start experiencing real staffing issues due to the coronavirus? In an emergency, families in some of our communities might have to wait hours for a response, which is just too long."

Doherty said that Murphy should follow the lead of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, who re-opened gun stores Tuesday after initially shutting them down. Pennsylvania gun stores can now sell by individual appointment only, and during limited hours, as long as they comply with social distancing.

Murphy's order also resulted in the the NJ NICS system being taken offline to prevent firearms dealers from conducting criminal background checks required by state law.

Meanwhile, medical marijuana dispensaries, cell phone stores, bike repair shops and garden centers are all still allowed to stay open.

"His personal dislike of firearms does not diminish the 2nd Amendment rights of New Jerseyans during this crisis," said Doherty of Murphy. "With armed State Troopers at his side, the governor has little to worry about. That’s not the reality of many New Jerseyans who must guarantee their own security.”

O'Scanlon, DiMaso and Scharfenberger represent New Jersey's 13th Legislative District in Trenton, which includes the towns of Aberdeen, Atlantic Highlands, Fair Haven, Hazlet, Holmdel, Middletown, Marlboro, Rumson, Little Silver and others.