By David Codrea
USA – -(Ammoland.com)— New Jersey’s ban on electronic arms is an unconstitutional violation of the Second Amendment and the state must stop enforcing it, a federal judge ordered Tuesday. Judge Michael A. Shipp of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, Vicinage of Trenton, issued the order in the matter of New Jersey Second Amendment Society and Mark Cheeseman vs. New Jersey Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino and Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, Col. Rick Fuentes.
The court order comes on the heels of a consent order proposed by Porrino, a breaking development reported exclusively on April12 by AmmoLand Shooting Sports News.
“Pursuant to the holdings in Heller, McDonald and Caetano, N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2C:39-3(h), to the extent this statute outright prohibits, under criminal penalty, individuals from possessing electronic arms, is declared unconstitutional in that it violates the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and shall not be enforced,” the consent order admitted.
Judge Shipp agreed, and issued Tuesday’s court order to include:
- “The Second Amendment guarantees individuals a fundamental right to keep and bear arms for self-defense … Further, ‘the Second Amendment extends prima facie, to all instruments that constitute bearable arms, even those that were not in existence at the time of the founding.’”
- “[The New Jersey statute] is declared unconstitutional in that it violates the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and shall not be enforced.”
- “[The New Jersey statute] shall not be enforced to the extent this statute prohibits, under criminal penalty, the sale or shipment of Tasers or other electronic arms…”
- “[A]ny and all proceedings in this matter are hereby stayed for a period of 180 days until such time that any necessary revisions to existing controlling legal authorities may be implemented…”
Plaintiffs were also awarded “reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs.” The order follows:
NJ Judge Enters Consent Order by AmmoLand Shooting Sports News on Scribd
“We are thrilled the court entered the consent order and made official what we all knew: that Tasers are protected arms under the Second Amendment, Stephen D. Stamboulieh, plaintiff’s co-counsel with attorneys Alan Beck and Ryan Watson, told AmmoLand Shooting Sports News. “Now, we will see what New Jersey decides to do in the 180 days until the order executes. We are hopeful given the strong language of the order, that New Jersey will not attempt to ban carry or possession through new legislation or regulation. But that remains to be seen.”
As noted in the previous AmmoLand report, Stamboulieh sent a notification letter to U.S. District Judge David N. Hurd, in the matter of Avitabile, et al. v. Cuomo, et al., to advise him of the essential similarity between New York law and New Jersey law. Per another AmmoLand report filed in March, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman insists there is no right to own a taser or a stun gun even in a citizen’s own home.
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating / defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament.
In addition to being a field editor/columnist at GUNS Magazine and associate editor for Oath Keepers, he blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.