N.J. Supreme Court considers limits on gun sales

The state Supreme Court will tackle gun control today when it considers whether cities and towns may enact laws limiting the sale of firearms.

The justices will hear arguments on Jersey's City's attempt to limit handgun purchases to one per month. An appeals court last fall overturned the 2006 ordinance, saying the city had overstepped its bounds because state law already monitors those sales.

The lower court said municipal governments don't have the power "to act in the field of firearm regulation and control." New Jersey residents need a permit to buy handguns, but state law does not limit how many permits a person may request.

New York is the only city with a handgun purchase limit -- one every 90 days. The city also prohibits purchases of more than one rifle or shotgun every 90 days.

Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy said towns and cities should be allowed to set their own laws, adding that he and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg decided to establish local laws that would be a "good start in the right direction at stanching the flow of illegal handguns."

Healy said the biggest problem in Jersey City is "straw purchasers," those with clean records who buy guns for gang members.

"If you fill out the right papers you can buy as many handguns as you want in one shot," Healy said. "It seems like every other 16-year-old involved in gangs and drugs is packing an illegal handgun."

Scott Bach, president of the Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs, which is involved in the case, said restricting purchases within a city or state's limits will not prevent criminals from buying handguns out of state.

The whole story here.

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