Supreme Court Gun Law Ruling An Insult To Victims: Rep. Watson Coleman

PRINCETON, NJ — Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ 12) said that the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down New York’s concealed carry gun law was “tone deaf” and “an insult to victims of gun violence.”

On Thursday, the conservative majority struck down a New York law that placed strict restrictions on carrying firearms outside the home.

“Our right-wing Supreme Court has ruled that life-saving gun violence prevention legislation is unconstitutional. It has ruled to severely limit the government’s ability to end the American gun violence epidemic and make individuals and communities less safe. It has ruled in favor of a nation-wide firearm free-for-all,” Watson Coleman said in a statement.

“It has ruled to unleash more needless death and suffering upon our country. This Supreme Court is increasingly facing a legitimacy crisis. Today’s decision is not only tone-deaf, it’s an insult to victims of gun violence and their families.”

The law struck down on Thursday requires anyone seeking to carry a gun outside their homes to go through an extensive review process and makes it a crime to carry a concealed firearm without a license. More: New York Gun Law Overturned By U.S. Supreme Court In Major Ruling

The ruling had been largely expected ever since the majority-conservative Court heard arguments in November, with most justices appearing skeptical of the state's century-old law.

Calling gun violence an epidemic that is uniquely American, Watson Coleman said that there were more guns in the country than people. “In most states, a person can legally purchase an assault weapon before they can have a drink,” she said.

She also noted that the ruling comes close on the heels of the tragedies in Buffalo and Uvalde.

“We are 174 days into 2022. In that time, there have been more than 279 mass shootings in our country. There were only 10 days between the massacres in Buffalo and Uvalde. In those 10 days, 14 mass shootings that terrorized communities across the country didn’t even make national headlines,” the Congresswoman said. “This violence, this hatred, this evil has become a fact of everyday life in our country. I refuse to accept that.”

In New Jersey, lawmakers are considering a series of gun-related measures. The measures include requiring training to purchase a firearm, banning weapons of .50 caliber or greater and raising the minimum age for purchasing shotguns and rifles from 18 to 21.

The proposals come from a gun-control package Gov. Phil Murphy's administration put forth in April 2021. More: Supreme Court's Gun-Law Ruling 'Undermines' NJ's Safety: AG

On Thursday, Murphy said the Supreme Court’s decision was based on "a deeply flawed constitutional methodology" that "will make America a less safe country."

" But let me be equally clear that, here in New Jersey, we will do everything in our power to protect our residents,” Murphy said on Twitter.

“Anticipating this decision, my Administration has been closely reviewing options we believe are still available to us regarding who can carry concealed weapons and where they can carry them.”

New Jersey Acting Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin told NPR that he believes the Garden State's "sensible regulations" on firearms are consistent with the Second Amendment. But during the interview — released hours before the Supreme Court's decision — Platkin claimed that a decision to overturn New York's law "would undermine public safety."

(With reporting from Nick Gerber and Josh Bakan, Patch Staff)

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