New Jersey’s strict gun laws may put a single mother of two behind bars simply because she was honest.
New Jersey police pulled over Shaneen Allen for an unsafe lane change on October 1, 2013. Allen had gotten lost while driving and accidentally crossed into the Garden State.
While the police officer consulted Allen, she told the officer she had a concealed .380 Bersa Thunder handgun in her car. The gun was registered in Pennsylvania, where Allen lives. While she had her conceal and carry paperwork on hand, the papers are void in New Jersey.
Police would later charge Allen with unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of hollow-point bullets. If convicted, Allen will be slapped with a second-degree felony and a mandatory minimum prison sentence of three years.
“New Jersey’s draconian and crazy gun laws gives the judge no discretion here — none,” Allen’s attorney, Evan Nappen, told FOX News. “You will get three years with no chance of parole if you’re convicted of this gun charge.”
Nappen said Allen had only owned the gun for a week prior to the night police pulled her over. She had purchased it after being robbed twice in the last year.
Allen has no previous criminal record and has applied for a prison-alternative option if convicted, but her request was denied.
“There’s no aggravating factors in this case; she’s a single mom of two, working in the medical field who was robbed twice and that’s what inspired her to get a gun license in the first place,” said Nappen.
