Senator Robert Menendez’s Lack of Common Sense Approach to Guns in OpEd

By Fred Riehl

Trenton, NJ –-(Ammoland.com)- Recently Anti-Second Amendment Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) wrote an Op-Ed in the April 2012 issue of New Jersey Municipalities Magazine laying out his argument that it’s not about the constitution it’s about public safety and a “common sense” approach to gun control.

New Jersey Municipalities Magazine is the official publication of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities (NJLM). In their words “a forum for the exchange of ideas and information on municipal affairs for the public officials of New Jersey” and is an important information source for Town Administrators and Town Clerks as well as Mayor & Council Persons.

Just the folks that gun banners like Menendez would love to influence to pass more local level attacks on your right to keep and bear arms, all in the name of “Common Sense”.

Take a moment to read the document below and you will see it is full of half-truths, fear-mongering and quotes almost word for word, directly from the Brady Campaign and Mayors Against Illegal Guns playbooks.

There are so many classic gun banner memes that I needed to make a list to keep track:

• Starts with Fear-Mongering and the tragic story of a child that is killed by an accidental gunshot.
• Jumps right to the MAIG catchphrase “Illegal Guns”
• Repeats Myth that guns are “Easy for Felons to Buy” in other states. (Even though NJ uses the same NIC’s check)
• That no background checks are required for guns bought on the internet.
• And invokes the “Gun Show Loop Hole” myths.
• And the  “Iron Pipeline” myth of illegal guns coming up I-95 to New Jersey.

And this is only the first two paragraphs?

Menendez then jumps right into the Brady & MAIG PlayBook starting with:

• The positive virtues Brady State Score Card.
• Extols how New Jersey is one of the top-rated states. (but fails to mention that crime is at all-time highs in the Victimhood State)
• Bashes the state of Virginia, (a favorite target of Mayors Against Illegal Guns)
• Throws in some more fear-mongering about police being at risk of a flood of guns from southern states.
• Praises New Jersey for its tough gun laws…(tough for who? not criminals)
• and proceeds to attack the Federal Right to Carry Reciprocity Act and the threat of these Concealed Carry Criminals coming to the state of NJ.
• complains how concealed carry permits are never revoked from “Violent Felons”..what?
• Subtle plug for his support for a national gun registry
• his vote against the “Un-logical” transporting of guns in luggage on Amtrak
• includes a plug for joining Mayors Against Illegal Guns, (this is especially dangerous considering this magazine’s primary readers.)
• goes on to say “it’s not about the constitutional right to keep and bear arms”
• its always about safety and crime prevention, (while never targeting criminals)
• and all other states have weak reckless gun laws
• and some more fear-mongering and “illegal Guns”

OH MY GOD! is this the most blatant piece for anti-gun rhetoric you have read in a long time? You could not make this stuff up and is a real insight into the mindset of representatives making laws for you and me at the federal level.

But wait! There is one snippet at the very end that we can agree on, “keeping guns out of the hands of criminals”.

The shame of it is everything gun grabbers like Menendez put forward is about restricting the rights of law-abiding gun owners and never about affecting criminals with tougher punishment or making it more dangerous for them to operate by having more armed law-abiding citizens?

“It Takes Idiots To Be Ruled By Fools” ~ Tunde Bakare , Wake up New Jersey!

Common Sense Approach to Guns by Senator Robert Menendez