Retired and Rearmed
Assembly committee advances measure clarifying which
retired law enforcement officers can carry firearms
Legislation expanding the list of retired law
enforcement officers who are eligible to receive a
permit to carry a handgun – sponsored by seven
members of the State Assembly – was advanced on
June 2 by the Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee.
The bill (A2690) adds retired law enforcement
officers from state parks, the Division of Taxation,
Human Services, NJ Transit and campus police to
the eligibility list to carry weapons until they turn 75
years old.
In 1997, then-Governor Christine Todd Whitman
signed a law allowing retired law enforcement officers to carry concealed weapons in response to the
murder of a retired officer who attempted to stop a
carjacking at a Newark cemetery. NJ State PBA
Director of Government Affairs Rob Nixon played a
big leadership role in the drafting of that bill and
lobbying it through to becoming a law that applied
to all state, county, local and bi-state agency officers.
The New Jersey State Police has since tried to restrict
agencies eligible to carry into retirement.
“As the person who lobbied the original law into
effect in the 1990s, I testified in committee that, ‘a
cop is a cop,’ no matter what uniform he or she is
wearing,” Nixon stated “And that it is the State Legislature’s duty to restore the intent of our law to
apply it as intended.”
That certainly motivated Local 600 to get
involved in this cause.
“For us as a group to show solidarity with all
members of law enforcement, no matter what
agency – big or small; rural or city – is what Local 600
is all about,” attested Local 600 State Delegate Jim
Toma. “This has been our message from the beginning, whether it’s the right to carry or other political
battles, we are about the strength that only unity
brings.”
A second important decision was made at the
federal level where the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
Washington, D.C. circuit ruled that the city’s Department of Corrections improperly barred retired officers from carrying concealed firearms, saying the
2004 Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act guaranteed their right.
“This was another decision that brings unity and
strength to all retired and active law enforcement
officers,” added Toma. “If the courts would start to
chip away the rights of career law enforcement officer to carry, those who have been trained and spent
a lifetime protecting the public, then what chance
does the average law-abiding citizen have to own
and possess a weapon to protect themselves and
their families?”
What the bill’s sponsors had to say…
Assemblyman Ron Dancer
(R-Ocean)
“These are men and women
who have spent their careers
fighting crime and keeping people safe. They understand the
law, they know how to handle
the weapons and it makes sense to allow them to
continue to carry a firearm.”
Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon
(R-Monmouth)
“This is a common-sense reform
that will only add to the qualified people prepared to defend
and protect us if, God forbid, the
need ever arises. We have seen
tragedies – mass shootings at public places – that
would certainly be curtailed if a law enforcement
officer, retired or otherwise, were present and
armed. Expanding the number of these folks
amongst us will only help make us safer.”
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NEW JERSEY COPS
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JUNE 2016
Assemblyman Parker Space
(R-Sussex)
“A cop is a cop. They may have
retired from their jobs, but not
their commitment to protect and
serve. This legislation makes
New Jersey more compliant with
the federal retired law enforcement concealed carry
law commonly known as HR 218 and will make
our neighborhoods safer and more comfortable for
everybody except criminals.”
Assemblywoman Gail Phoebus
(R-Sussex)
“Not only will this bill allow
retired officers to carry a handgun, it will allow the public to
feel more secure. We have done a
great job fighting crime in New
Jersey, and the statistics prove it. But a single incident of violent crime is one too many for the victim. A retired officer with a gun may be able to
prevent it from happening.”