PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A federal judge on Monday issued a temporary restraining order for New Jersey’s recently passed gun laws.
Plaintiffs in the case say the state declared war on the Second Amendment. They said the new laws are a minefield designed to discourage otherwise law-abiding citizens from carrying a gun out of fear they will get arrested for a technical violation of the law.
U.S. District Judge Renee Marie Bumb found their argument compelling and said the state should have been better prepared to argue the constitutionality of the new gun laws.
Specifically, the ruling found a part of the law about “sensitive locations” was problematic. Bumb ruled that the state’s list encompasses almost anywhere a person could go. The state list includes:
— Sites of "core constitutional activity," including government and criminal justice buildings.
— Schools, universities, and other educational institutions.
— Parks and other recreation spaces.
— Hospitals and other "locations that protect vulnerable classes of people, such as the young and the frail."
— Retail outlets where "intoxicating" substances are sold.
— Locations where large crowds congregate, including churches.
— "Places where volatile conditions may pose a threat to public safety."
— Locations for transportation and "public infrastructure.”
— Private property where the owner hasn't given consent.
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In the opinion, Bumb wrote the new laws make it nearly impossible for a law-abiding gun owner to know where he or she is allowed to carry a gun, and therefore cannot reasonably exercise their constitutional rights without fear of breaking the law.
Bumb added that even if permit holders knew the list of banned locations inside and out, the judge said it’s still unconstitutional to ban weapons with such a broad brush stroke.
At least for now, there were no challenges to most aspects of the new gun legislation. Bumb’s ruling and the case at this point hinge entirely on the section involving sensitive locations.