Gun Owners of America (GOA) and the Coalition of New Jersey Firearm Owners have filed a lawsuit challenging New Jersey’s ban on hollow point ammo, one of the dumbest gun control laws in the nation.
The law prohibits people from carrying hollow point ammunition outside of their homes. However, they are allowed to use it inside their homes. GOA noted that “Despite being widely used by law enforcement and civilians across the country for personal protection, New Jersey’s draconian laws prohibit the possession of commonly used hollow point ammunition outside the home, leaving residents to carry substandard full metal jacket ammunition instead.”
Erich Pratt, Senior Vice President of GOA, argued that the state “does not get to decide for Americans what kind of books they may read, what brands of firearms they may own, or what kind of ammunition they can use.”
New Jersey’s unconstitutional ban on hollow points for self-defense outside the home is yet another example of anti-gun politicians disarming law-abiding citizens while criminals ignore the law. Self-defense is an enumerated right, and GOA will fight to ensure that New Jerseyans are no longer left vulnerable due to senseless restrictions.
The lawsuit argues that New Jersey’s law does not meet the historical precedent standard mandated by the Supreme Court’s ruling in New York Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen and that hollow point ammo is commonly used by those who carry firearms.
“New Jersey forbids a person from publicly possessing the most effective types of self-defense ammunition, despite the hollow point’s overwhelming popularity,” the complaint states, pointing out that the Garden State is the only one “to criminalize the ‘bear[ing]’ of hollow point ammunition.”
The plaintiffs further argued that New Jersey’s law “operates to deprive ‘the people’ of their Second Amendment rights while outside the home, notwithstanding the Second Amendment’s protections.”
The lawsuit points out that the ban runs afoul of the Supreme Court’s rulings in Bruen and District of Columbia v. Heller, which “did not differentiate between regulations governing ammunition and regulations governing the firearms themselves.”
In referencing Bruen’s historical precedent requirement, the lawsuit further notes that “There was never an early American tradition of prohibiting the public carry of any type of ammunition, much less hollow point or self-defense ammunition.”
Kerry Slone, founder of We the Female, told Townhall:
Placing any restrictions on access to self-defense tools such as hollow point ammunition doesn’t prevent violent crimes. It does, however, prevent women from having the ability to defend themselves effectively. This is especially important in a state like New Jersey, which has a reputation for failing to protect women from violent assailants. One would think New Jersey’s, elected representatives would have learned this after their oppressive policies were the reason Carole Bowne’s abuser/stalker murdered her because the state’scorrupt government prevented her from having legal access to a firearm.
Carol Browne was murdered by her abusive ex-boyfriend in 2017. She applied for a gun permit as was required by New Jersey law. Tragically, the state slow-walked the process, and the abuser killed and dismembered her.
Not only is New Jersey’s law unconstitutional, it demonstrates why anti-gunner politicians should not be allowed to pass laws regulating firearms: They simply do not know enough about the topic to legislate effectively.
If you’re a gun owner reading this, you already know why it is ridiculous for a state government to allow people to carry full metal jacket ammunition while banning hollow points.
For those who don’t, hollow points are designed to expand when they hit the target. This creates a larger wound, which increases the likelihood of stopping an assailant quickly. On the other hand, full metal jacket rounds do not expand. Instead, they maintain their shape and pass straight through the target.
This makes it far more likely that an individual using a firearm to defend themselves against an attacker will also hit innocent bystanders as the round goes through the assault and any other barrier before finally stopping.
Imagine someone is forced to shoot a mugger in a parking lot. If this person used full metal jacket rounds, it could go through the attacker and into a nearby store and hit a customer. This is how much these rounds can penetrate.
Since hollow points are designed to stop inside the target, there is a reduced risk of harming innocents.
To put it simply, the rocket scientists who came up with this law are actually placing more people in danger by forcing people to carry full metal jackets instead of hollow points. So, not only is the law an unconstitutional violation of the right to keep and bear arms, it raises the odds that innocent people will be harmed. This is yet another example of how gun control only endangers people instead of saving lives.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member