U.S. Attorney Statement on NJ Gun ‘Buyback’ Shows Need to Further Clean House

By David Codrea

New Jersey monopoly of violence aficionados look forward to a meltdown. (New Jersey Attorney General Facebook photos)
David Codrea in his natural habitat.

USA – -(Ammoland.com)- “U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Bill Fitzpatrick said it was especially important to get assault weapons off the streets,” New Jersey 101.5 reported. They were covering a Camden, Newark and Trenton gun “buyback” hosted in a church/state partnership — something that’s evidently not objectionable when “progressive” virtues are signaled — that netted 4,775 guns.

Taking center stage for the cameras was Chris Christie-appointed Attorney General Christopher Porrino. He bragged about how many more guns were taken in this time than last – more than had been seized by law enforcement in a year.  Left unsaid by the crowing police and politicos was how few of those guns were turned in by the criminal element causing the problems, or that no less an authority than the Department of Justice’s National Institute of Justice concluded:

“Buybacks are ineffective unless massive and coupled with a ban [and] In order to have an impact, large capacity magazine regulation needs to sharply curtail their availability to include restrictions on importation, manufacture, sale, and possession.”

Porrino and his “Only Ones” are proud of themselves. (NJ/AG Facebook)

So leave it to USA Fitzpatrick to support both, and to utter an asinine sound bite taken straight out of the Bloomberg playbook:

“Those are weapons of war, those are weapons designed to kill as many people as possible as quickly as possible.”

Right. Semi-autos. Tell me he doesn’t know the difference, or that he doesn’t understand that Founding intent, backed by precedent, confirms citizens were meant to keep and bear “ordinary military equipment” to be taken into “common defense” battles. That was the envisioned deterrent.

Would you rather have “weapons of war” or agents of tyranny?

“Mr. Fitzpatrick has spent his entire professional career in public service, including 19 years as a federal prosecutor,” his DOJ bio page informs us. In other words, he’s been a career trough-feeder who either didn’t understand the oath of office he nonetheless freely swore to, or possibly did but just viewed it as a ceremonial formality that he’s free to ignore.

That page tells us Fitzpatrick’s “acting,” meaning he assumed the top slot in New Jersey following the forced resignation of former USA Paul Fishman after President Donald Trump’s Attorney General Jeff Sessions took over. In his case (and in others’, as a recent War on Guns post shows), Sessions did not go deep enough.

The Trump administration, AG Sessions and Senate Republicans owe it to gun owners who put them in power to ensure their operatives understand a fundamental obligation is “to secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.” That means they have a fundamental obligation to provide Bill of Rights protections against government infringements.

And that means there should be no room in the DOJ for legal meatheads that spout self-serving crap about “weapons of war” in order to get press and to advance their agendas and careers. Even if a preponderance of useful idiot New Jersey voters approve of being disarmed.

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.

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Alan

JorgeNorberto Pedace comments in Spanish, which I assume is his language. Unfortunately, I do not read Spanish. I view these posts on an older IPad, and I note the lack of a translate button. Please advise. THanks.

John S

The one with the red tie wrap looks like a Vietnam era M16. I agree criminals probably dispose of these weapons and s they are probably stolen. The true owners will never see then because of these asses. But hey it NJ where only the criminals and connected can legally carry arms.

Samuel Stephens

If that is the picture of a NJ turd US Attorney Fitzpatrick, to answer his question ” I would rather have the assault weapon, I know what it does, politicians/lawyers, I don’t know what they do but I know they screw things up no matter what they choose to do.

Dale Barclay

The police should check all the serial numbers and return any reported stolen firearms to the owner if they can prove it was theirs. Also a great way for a criminal to dispose of evidence used in a crime.

A. X. Perez

Buy backs should be required to pay Blue Book price on guns turned in. That includes having at least one NRA certified appraiser (No such critter? Well someone from Christie’s or other recognized auction house/broker) paid at least $50.00 an hour for his/her time. The sponsor of the event should be criminally and civilly liable if siblings, parents, children, and/or spouses turn in weapons without the written permission of the actual owner. Unless the person turning in the weapon specifically asks that it be destroyed the weapon should be auctioned to recover the expenses (and if they are paying Blue… Read more »

JorgeNorberto Pedace

CUANDO VEO ESTAS FOTOGRAFÍAS REALMENTE ME DAN DOLOR DE ESTÓMAGO E INDIGNACIÓN DE PENSAR,QUE ESTA NO ES PARA NADA UNA SOLUCIÓN,AQUÍ LO QUE SE QUIERE,ES DESARMAR A LA
POBLACIÓN,ARGUMENTANDO LAS MÁS VARIADAS HIPÓTESIS,Y HACIENDO PERDER AL PUEBLO LOS
DINEROS INVERTIDOS EN ARMAS,COMO SI GENEROSAMENTE QUIENES PAGARON POR ELLAS TUVIE
RAN QUE PAGAR ESTE TRIBUTO POR SER AFICIONADO,CUANDO LO QUE SE DEBE TENER EN CUENTA
QUE QUIENES ESTÁN REGISTRADOS,NO SON DELINCUENTES.

Wild Bill

The more that pres. Trump fires these insufferable bureaucrats, the better it is for ordinary Americans… and entertaining too!

BillyBob Texas

What’s the problem with VOLUNTARY buybacks? It appears only those that don’t want guns sell them. And THAT seems better than them selling or giving them to some gangbanger.
In a perfect world ALL OF YOU would turn ALL GUNS in , and I would be the only one with guns, meaning I would never be rousted by some thug. (At least not more than once…..,)

joe martin

Buy backs are not necessarily a bad thing. There were a couple of buy-backs in New Mexico several years ago ($50.00 each) and several of us who had worthless parts guns and rusted out relics participated and made enough to buy or partially pay for a nice new or used gun or two afterwards. One of my friends stayed in the parking lot and got some really nice guns for $75 to $100 each.

Gregory Romeu

Now taking bets on how many of those firearms serial numbers are going to show up in possession of either the officers, politicos, their friends or family and associates somewhere down the road?

Afterall, the ATF claims that they can, “TRACK FIREARMS”! https://Facebook.com/FOBHarmomy