Gov. Christie likely to pardon legal gun owners arrested in New Jersey

Perhaps looking to make news that could help him make the cut on to the main stage at Thursday night’s Republican primary debate, Governor Chris Christie announced that he’ll likely pardon out-of-staters who were arrested for having a firearm while travelling through or visiting New Jersey.

One of the victims Christie referred to is Brian Fletcher, a North Carolinian that was working to restore cell service to New Jersey residents after a storm.

“We have this gentleman who we’re considering right now for pardon, from North Carolina who was up here, helping New Jersey after the storm to repair cell towers. This is just not the right way to do these things. This was not a guy who was a threat to anybody.”

Christie also spoke about Elizabeth Griffith who was arrested for unlawful possession of a firearm even though she had a concealed carry permit from her own state.

“We need to be smarter about the way we do this. What I don’t want is for folks to feel like they can’t come into our state, and be able to travel through it, or visit it, and have to make sure they go on the Internet and look up exactly how you’re supposed to be dealing with the gun laws.”

The governor said that he will be submitting a bill to give out-of-state gun owners concealed carry reciprocity, something 37 other states currently offer. But he has almost no hope of seeing it get through a heavily-liberal state legislature.

“I don’t know why the Legislature won’t change something like this when they, over and over again, see folks who are legal carriers of guns in other states, who are coming through here and not doing anything other than traveling through New Jersey.”

New Jersey’s draconian gun laws are catching more otherwise-legal gun owners than anything. New Jersey’s liberal democrats have put laws in place that have good people being arrested, charged and taking up court time. At some point, the state has to realize that it is wasting resources on people who are no threat, are not criminals and should never have been arrested in the first place.