http://www.newsday.com/news/local/st...on-apnewjersey
Gun control advocates give New Jersey high rating for firearms regulation
January 12, 2005, 5:07 PM EST
TRENTON, N.J. -- New Jersey has received an A- rating from the nation's top gun control groups for the way it regulates firearms.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the Million Mom March said Wednesday that the rating, the same as last year's, is based on the Garden State's regulation of the sale and possession of guns for kids, laws that make adults liable for having loaded weapons around children and requirements that handguns be childproof in the future.
New Jersey also requires state-approved safety locks and a permit for every gun sale.
Only five other states _ California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland and Massachusetts _ received ratings in the A-range. Thirty-one states were given Ds and Fs.
"An A- means New Jersey's leaders understand that sensible gun laws protect families and children," said Bryan Miller, president of Ceasefire New Jersey. "However, still more can be done to protect New Jersey's youth."
Gun control advocates want New Jersey to ban rapid-fire ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds, rather than the present limit of 15. The state also should limit a person's purchase of handguns to one per month, according to the groups.
The National Rifle Association claimed there is no correlation between crime rates and the higher rating from the Brady Campaign. The rating system, the NRA said, is merely a way for gun control groups to reward states that vote for Democratic presidential candidates.
"We believe that the Brady Campaign is politically insignificant after significant defeats in the past two presidential elections," said NRA spokeswoman Autumn Fogg.
NJ - Gun control advocates give New Jersey high rating for firearms regulation
