A federal judge on Monday placed a temporary restraining order on portions of New Jersey‘s recently enacted bans on carrying guns in public “sensitive places” such as parks, beaches, and casinos but left in place other restrictions.
U.S. District Judge Renee Marie Bumb in Camden, New Jersey, came after a group of seven people and the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs challenged parts of the law signed by Gov. Phil Murphy in December. The ruling relied on the Supreme Court’s landmark gun decision last summer that ruled against New York’s previous concealed carry regime and made clear legislators cannot make overly broad laws banning guns in so-called sensitive zones, such as Times Square.
Bumb’s Monday decision comes just days after she said in oral arguments that New Jersey’s new law “essentially renders the entire state of New Jersey a ‘sensitive place’ where firearms are prohibited.” Her temporary order also follows another from earlier this month in which she initially peeled back parts of the sensitive locations rule that prevented carrying concealed weapons in restaurants, bars, museums, and public libraries.
PARTS OF NEW JERSEY’S GUN LAW TEMPORARILY BLOCKED BY FEDERAL JUDGE
Other sensitive places listed in New Jersey’s law have been challenged but have not been stripped back. Places where concealed weapons remain banned include medical facilities, airports, playgrounds, and youth sporting events, as Bumb said the plaintiffs against those measures haven’t “come forward with strong historical evidence” to support their claim that the ban should be overturned.
A spokesperson for the governor’s office said it is “disappointed that the court invalidated common-sense restrictions on the right to carry firearms in public, which are fully consistent with the Second Amendment” and that it plans to appeal the decision, noting the administration is “confident that it will be reversed.”
Other portions of the law, including handgun safety requirements and stricter gun licensing requirements, remain in effect.
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Meanwhile, representatives for the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs celebrated the decision and signaled their belief on social media that more aspects of the law could be blocked once the case enters a preliminary injunction stage. However, they noted that both rulings are temporary restraining orders and not final judgments.
“This marks the beginning of the end for Governor Murphy’s blatantly unconstitutional new carry law, which is going down in flames,” Scott Bach, executive director of the association, wrote in a statement.
