Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Police officers have a unique position in American society. By virtue of their job, they piss people off pretty much every time they go to work. Sure, you might be cool with getting pulled over for speeding because you know you were, but some get outright furious that they were the ones pulled over for it.
And that’s just the pedestrian stuff.
Every arrest they make runs the risk of creating an enemy, one who might well seek revenge at some other point. Just how big that risk turns out to be depends on a number of factors, of course, but that’s all beyond the officer’s control.
As such, even some former officers carry firearms to protect themselves from these potential enemies.
Unfortunately, some former officers are upset about the rules the state puts on them in order for them to carry.
A New Jersey law that requires extra hurdles for retired cops who want to carry a concealed firearm is illegal and state officials should be barred from enforcing it, two police organizations allege in a new federal lawsuit.
Under state law, retired officers who have federal permission to carry concealed firearms must apply for a separate permit, meet different qualifications and pay additional fees to gain that privilege in New Jersey, according to the suit.
New Jersey also adds improper age restrictions and wrongly gives state officials “unfettered discretion” to deny permits, the lawsuit says.
The complaint was filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Newark. The plaintiffs are the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the New Jersey Fraternal Order of Police and three retired federal officers.
The lawsuit also seeks to force New Jersey to allow retired officers to possess hollow-point bullets.
Of course, this is New Jersey. This is the same state where average citizens can’t even get a concealed carry permit. In the mind of state officials, they’re being downright magnanimous with retired police officers.
The problem here is that these officers are asking for special consideration that the average citizen of New Jersey simply cannot get. They want to carry hollowpoints, which I understand. The expansion reduces the risk of overpenetration, thus making them safer for everyone except the bad guy, yet the state bans them.
However, it bans them for everyone. Retired police officers aren’t special in this regard, and that’s a big part of what’s bothering them.
What I’m curious about is how many of these officers supported the shall-issue permitting laws? How many thought private citizens should be required to have a “good” reason before a permit is issued? I’d be willing to bet that a fair number who did are now upset that they are the ones facing restrictions.
Don’t get me wrong, all of these restrictions are total BS and a violation of the Law Enforcement Officers’ Safety Act (LEOSA) and the state should lose big-time in court.
I’m just saying that the average, law-abiding citizen in New Jersey is also subject to danger in their day-to-day lives and they don’t get any special treatment. Instead, they get hosed by their home state.
Tom Knighton is a Navy veteran, a former newspaperman, a novelist, and a blogger and lifetime shooter. He lives with his family in Southwest Georgia. https://bearingarms.com/author/tomknighton/
https://bearingarms.com/tom-k/2020/05/14/suit-over-gun-carry-restrictions/