In Pennsylvania, the attorney general is closing a 'loophole' in securing concealed-carry permits, and New Jersey lawmakers plan quick action on a package of 20 measures.
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Robert Bailey, right, and wife Betty Bailey, of Millstone Township, N.J., hold signs at a gun-rights rally today in Trenton.
New Jersey and Pennsylvania officials moved today on gun-control measures, even as a Second Amendment rally in Trenton drew some 300 gun-rights advocates amid dreary weather.
The New Jersey Assembly planned to quickly take action on 20 gun violence prevention bills that Democrats unveiled today. The package would restrict ammunition sales, require firearms safety training and make it tougher for some to obtain gun permits. The bills also address mental health treatment and enhanced gun safety.
In Pennsylvania, newly sworn-in Democratic Attorney General Kathleen Kane announced the closure of a “loophole” that lets residents get concealed-carry permits online from Florida.
Pennsylvania and Florida both deny permits to felons, but Pennsylvania also lets police reject suspects under investigation or people with long arrest records.
Announcing the decision in crime-plagued North Philadelphia, weeks after taking office, Kane said about 4,000 Pennsylvanians have gotten the Florida permits since 2001. She says some of them had first been denied permits at home.
The Florida permit holders in Pennsylvania will have four months to get a valid state permit.
In New Jersey, where gun laws are already among the nation’s toughest, Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver promised her chamber would be leaders on new measures that do more to protect residents.
“Whether it’s the streets of our New Jersey communities, a movie theater in Colorado or an elementary school in Connecticut, enough is enough is enough,” Oliver, D-Essex, said. “No more talk. It’s time for action.”
The Assembly bills are scheduled to be considered in committee Wednesday and voted on by the full chamber Feb. 21. Democrats enjoy the majority in the Assembly and can get the bills passed even if no Republicans support them. It’s not clear where the Republican caucus stands on the issue.
Its most conservative member, Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll, R-Morris, was among two legislators who spoke at the gun-rights rally. The other was Sen. Michael Doherty, a Republican who represents parts of Warren, Hunterdon and Somerset counties.
“I want you to know there’s a number of us in the Legislature that do agree with you 100 percent and we’re going to be fighting every step of the way to protect your constitutional rights, law-abiding citizens taking care of their families, taking care of their homes,” Doherty told the overwhelmingly male crowd that included a handful of children.
Amid the crowd of gun advocates, some carried signs that read: “We’re good guys with a gun,” ‘‘If guns kill people, cars cause drunk driving” or “No guns (equals) tyranny.”
Gov. Chris Christie declined an invitation to address the rally, citing a scheduling conflict. His staff said he was attending meetings this morning outside Trenton, but planned to be in the Statehouse later in the day.
The governor has refused to say whether he supports stricter gun laws. Christie created a task force to study gun-related violence after the Newtown, Conn., school massacre. He also has called for better treatment options for people with mental illness, but hasn’t been specific.
Democratic Sen. Barbara Buono, D-Middlesex, who is running for governor, has called on Christie to take a position on gun control.