In June, Carol Bowne was stabbed to death in her driveway by an ex-boyfriend in Berlin, New Jersey. She had applied for a handgun permit, but her application was delayed beyond the statutory limit of 30 days.
Bowne’s murder inspired Gov. Chris Christie to found the New Jersey Firearm Purchase and Permitting Study Commission.
It just so happened that Christie announced the commission the eve before he declared his presidential bid.
Although New Jersey was once praised by gun control groups for having relatively strict gun laws, some lawmakers have since had a change of heart.
In 2013, New Jersey was ranked as the state with the third strictest firearm laws by the Brady Campaign, a gun control advocacy group. It was just behind California and Connecticut.
New Jersey also had the fifth lowest rate of deaths related to gun violence, according to the group’s report.
New Jersey’s current firearm standards might soon change as Christie’s gun commission released a 25-page report on Dec. 21, calling for several modifications.
Currently, New Jersey firearm laws require that gun applicants need to show a “justifiable need” for carrying a handgun. The changes will broaden the definition of “justifiable need.”
