NJ Magazine Ban Backfires as Not a Single One Has Been Turned In
If you want a glimpse at how gun and magazine bans might work across America, look no further than New Jersey.
The state’s ban on so-called high-capacity magazines went into effect in December of last year, but results so far show that patriotic gun owners won’t fall for government-enforced disarmament so easily.
The ban makes possession of magazines that hold over 10 rounds illegal for most people.
Punishment for owning one of the targeted magazines includes 18 months in prison and a whopping $10,000 fine.
According to NJ.com, a New Jersey State Police spokesman confirmed that not a single magazine has been turned in to the state, despite the jail time and massive fine that could come with the possession of a banned item.
Instead, citizens are getting creative.
Some have allegedly turned to burying their now-illegal magazines in underground caches. Others have sealed them up in walls.
Despite the dystopian turn of events in New Jersey, local businesses are finding a way to profit from the law while providing a valuable service to those unwilling to hide their magazines.
For $1.25 per magazine, per month, GunSitters allows residents to use the law’s secure storage option to keep their magazines in a locked vault. Of course, this renders the magazine virtually useless in a home invasion or other crisis.
Not all of those funds are pure profit, however.
A lawsuit challenging the ban is partially funded by storage fees from GunSitters. After being collected, 20% of the funds are diverted to the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs, the group behind the legal challenge.
While there’s no clear indication how many now-illegal magazines are held in New Jersey, the low cost and near-universal availability before the law mean there could be millions hidden or locked in vaults.
New Jersey’s ban on large magazines and the underwhelming aftermath hint at larger problems for leftist gun-grabbing legislation.
If citizens are unwilling to hand over something as simple as magazines, what makes Democratic presidential candidates like former Rep. Beto O’Rourke and Sen. Elizabeth Warren think nationwide bans would be any more productive?
As some have warned, confiscation of firearms could lead to bloodshed.
While New Jersey wisely decided not to go the route of aggressive confiscation, patriotic disobedience is ensuring that magazines of all types will be available in the state regardless of what the law says.
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