Judge expands pause of New Jersey gun law that bans firearms in casinos

Judge expands pause of New Jersey gun law that bans firearms in casinos

Article brief provided by The Hill
  • Zach Schonfeld, The Hill
January 30, 2023 8:34 PM
  • Zach Schonfeld, The Hill

A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked New Jersey’s firearm bans at casinos, parks and beaches, the latest setback for the state’s new gun law.

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The ruling by U.S. District Judge Renée Marie Bumb, a George W. Bush appointee, augments her opinion earlier this month temporarily blocking enforcement at other so-called sensitive places where state lawmakers banned firearms.

Gun rights advocates filed the two legal challenges within hours of Gov. Phil Murphy (D) signing the law on Dec. 22, setting up one of multiple legal battles nationwide that are parsing the Supreme Court’s landmark gun ruling last summer.

The high court’s conservative majority in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen noted that states can ban firearms in sensitive places, but they ruled any law must be consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.