by Eric Lendrum
On Tuesday, a federal judge ruled that the state of New Jersey’s ban on AR-15 rifles is unconstitutional.
ABC News reports that U.S. District Judge Peter Sheridan’s ruling was directly influenced by the precedent set by the Supreme Court in its landmark ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen in 2022. In that case, the Supreme Court determined that Americans do not have to show “proper cause” when seeking to obtain a concealed-carry permit, overturning a 100-year-old state law in New York.
In his 69-page opinion, Judge Sheridan stated his belief that such policies must be passed by Congress at the federal level, and even offered his personal opinion in a rare, but brief moment that betrayed the neutrality expected of all judges.
“It is hard to accept the Supreme Court’s pronouncements that certain firearms policy choices are ‘off the table’ when frequently, radical individuals possess and use these same firearms for evil purposes,” said Sheridan. “Where the Supreme Court has set for the law of our Nation, as a lower court, I am bound to follow it. … This principle — combined with the reckless inaction of our governmental leaders to address the mass shooting tragedy afflicting our Nation — necessitates the Court’s decision.”
Currently, nine other states have laws similar to the law that was just struck down in New Jersey. Such laws gained traction in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012, where 20-year-old Adam Lanza killed 20 children and six adults before killing himself. The weapon he used was an AR-15, a popular firearm in the United States; many on the Left have subsequently and falsely branded the AR-15 as an “assault weapon,” or a “weapon of war,” and have advocated for its ban.
“Bans on so-called ‘assault weapons’ are immoral and unconstitutional,” said Brandon Combs, president of the Firearms Policy Coalition, one of the plaintiffs in the case. “FPC will continue to fight forward until all of these bans are eliminated throughout the United States.”
New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin (D-N.J.) issued his own statement falsely declaring that “the AR-15 is an instrument designed for warfare that inflicts catastrophic mass injuries, and is the weapon of choice for the epidemic of mass shootings that have ravaged so many communities across this nation.”
“We look forward to pressing our arguments on appeal,” Platkin added.
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Eric Lendrum reports for American Greatness.
Photo “Woman with AR-15” by Tac6 Media. CC BY 2.0.
