Any effort in NJ has to be incremental.
First, people have to be made aware that guns are legal, we have a right to own them under the second amendment, and someone other than cops, gangsters and hunters have a use for them.
Next has to be shall issue. Everyone should have the ability to obtain one.
Then, has to come CCW. People have to be able to use their firearms for self defense.
Then, after that, things like our HP laws, Assault Weapons Ban, etc. will seem silly and be taken down.
Actually shall issue is for the concealed carry permit, not the purchase of a gun. As long as you pass through all the hoops, your local police chief has to issue a permit to purchase. So the petition in question was for a carry permit. BTW, signing the petition sends an electronic email to your state representatives, and I have received replies back from three.
HP ammo is perfectly legal at home and on the range, you just can't carry it, but since this is the PRNJ, you can't carry
any type of ammunition...
yet.
For ranges we belong to both Cherry Ridge and Shongum Sportsmen. If you do any kind of regular shooting, range membership is the way to go. We went to the Pocono Pistol Club yesterday, (had a couple of free passes), nice facility, good folks running it, but lane rentals are $18 per hour. My yearly membership at Shongum is about 10 hours worth of hourly lane rental, and believe me, we shoot a lot more than 10 hours a year
Cherry Ridge has 100, 200, and 300 yard ranges, and outdoor pistol, while Shongum has a 100 yard rifle range, indoor and outdoor pistol ranges, and trap ranges. (Any competitions at Shongum IPSC, Cowboy Action, and Trap are open to the public for a very small fee.)
As far as shops go, Ramsey Outdoor in Roxbury, and Meltzers in Garfield have both been recipients of frequent "donations " from us.
We are still looking to move to a more rural, gun-friendly, and conservative area, but in the meantime we do what we can. We'll have to see if Mr. Christie will be able to change some things around this place.