Another NJ-Induced Headache On the Horizon!

[Arcana71]

I can just see this trying to cross the river already...

(In today's The Times of Trenton)

Getting ammo under control
Law enforcement officials want loopholes tightened

Wednesday, December 13, 2006
BY KEVIN SHEA

The torn piece of paper held a shopping list, much like one you would jot down on the way to the grocery store.

But the items on this list, seized by Trenton police last year, had the following: "AK Shells, .410 gauge, 9 mm, 25 cal."

It was a gang's ammunition shopping list and it had been filled at Dick's Sporting Goods in West Windsor by a 22-year-old Trenton man who is a convicted felon. Trenton police found the list in a Dick's bag with newly purchased boxes of ammunition during a car stop.

The 22-year-old admitted he bought the bullets for his cousin, who is an admitted Bloods gang member and who usually drives the car police had pulled over.

The man cannot legally own a handgun as a convicted felon, but no New Jersey law prevents him from buying boxes upon boxes of handgun ammunition after taking a simple drive north on Route 1.

The anecdote, provided by Trenton police gang unit Detective Frank Guido, was one of several examples presented to the State Commission of Investigation yesterday from an array of investigators about what all said was a major disparity in the regulations of firearms in the state versus the ammunition they fire.

Law enforcement has long concentrated on the guns, but aside from a mention in New Jersey law books, the sale and transfer of ammunition in New Jersey has little regulation, oversight or enforcement, the SCI heard from local, state and federal officials yesterday.

Bullets bought in bulk by convicted felons, known gang members and so-called "straw purchasers" keep gang members' guns fully loaded in their assault on people, communities, and the state as a whole, officials testified at the SCI's public hearing yesterday on the topic of handgun ammunition.

The SCI commissioners asked for suggestions on tightening ammunition loopholes and Guido had several, but the first, he said, was the most obvious.

To purchase a handgun, one must possess a valid New Jersey driver's license. Require it for the ammunition as well, he said.

"It really doesn't make sense to us," Guido said. "He can't purchase a handgun (because he's a felon), but now he's coming to buy ammo," he said, referring to the 22-year-old who bought bullets for Trenton gang members.

"It seems like common sense to us," Guido said. If the person doesn't have a handgun license, Guido said, most likely "he's going to pass (the ammunition) on to someone else."

Sitting next to Guido yesterday was Mercer County Prosecutor's gang unit Detective Frank Clayton, who described recently how he stood in line at a West Windsor liquor store and saw someone being asked for identification to buy cigarettes. A sign at the counter said anyone who looked younger than age 30 would need identification to buy smokes.

"But you have a 22-year-old buying AK-47 (assault rifle) shells and he's not even questioned," Clayton said.

The scenario of gang members or convicted felons buying ammunition virtually unchecked had been established earlier in the testimony by SCI Deputy Director Charlotte Gaal and SCI chief investigator Thomas Maltese, who both gave a rundown of what SCI investigators found in preparation for yesterday's hearings.

Some of the statistics caused wide-eyed looks of disbelief from seasoned detectives waiting to testify.

New Jersey has about 330 retail stores that sell ammunition and are required to keep logs of ammunition sales. The SCI surveyed logs in 60 stores in 19 of the state's 21 counties and found in 43 of them, convicted felons had been sold ammunition.

One felon bought 15,000 bullets over a four-year period. Another, who had serious weapon possession convictions, Maltese said, had purchased ammunition 120 times over three years, totaling about 7,000 bullets.

Still another had bought 600 rounds of ammunition in six months. "This guy's rap sheet is longer than both of my arms," Maltese said.

The SCI then sent cooperating felons undercover into stores 25 times to buy ammunition. They succeeded 22 times, Maltese said. One carried personal identification -- not a firearms card -- that listed him 30 years older and 30 pounds heavier. He got bullets.

In controlled buys, Maltese said, "We purchased approximately 2,000 rounds; we could have purchased 20,000 rounds." The only thing holding the SCI back, Maltese said, was that New Jersey is in a budget crunch.

One retail seller, Maltese said, asked the undercover buyer, "Who are you going to kill with this box?"

But according to Gaal, and later Guido, the ammunition sales such as those at Dick's in West Windsor, are not the store's fault.

Both said they are often helpful with law enforcement, when possible, and often are unsure of who they cannot sell to.

Gaal said the store owners often are dealing with customers who appear criminal or who wear gang colors, and they have to worry about retaliation. (A Dick's corporate spokesman said all stores follow all local, state and federal laws and have a great relationship with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.)

Another strange twist, the SCI heard, was that only the New Jersey State Police can access gun store logs, not local police.

Departing from her report to make a personal comment, Gaal said ammunition is just way too easy to buy. She said she recently adopted an abandoned dog from a local shelter and went through a "rigorous" process featuring stacks of paperwork and even a home visit by shelter workers.

"Anybody can get ammunition. I think that is the most startling thing."

Adding yet another twist is the unfettered ability to buy ammunition on the Internet, Maltese said.

He said he assigned an agent to look into it and the agent came back into his office 20 minutes later and said he'd bought bullets online. Stunned, Maltese fire up his Web browser and went to a national outdoors retailer, selected three boxes containing 1,200 round of hollow-point bullets, gave his own name, the SCI's Trenton address and punched in his credit card.

The online purchase asked for no other verification, Maltese said.

Plopping the boxes onto the table top with a thud, he said, "As easy as buying a toaster."

Regulating sales of ammunition are crucial to the state's issue of dealing with gangs, which is why the SCI had Clayton and Guido testify, among others. SCI Commissioner Kathy Flicker, a former Mercer County assistant prosecutor who left the office in 2000, referenced how a former top Trenton police official once characterized city police as the "toughest gang in Trenton."

Clayton, a former Trenton cop, jumped on the quote, saying that Trenton police are now outnumbered by the smallest of the three major Trenton gangs. The city had one gang murder in 2003. They had 22 last year, Clayton said.

Flicker said she had never seen a serious gang presence in her years putting Mercer criminals behind bars, other than a loosely affiliated group of corner drug sellers and praised Clayton and Guido for their work on gangs.

Flicker added: "I'm disheartened that they have to be" so diligent.

Contact Kevin Shea at kshea@njtimes.com.

© 2006 The Times of Trenton

[LorDiego01]

Thats just one step closer to the $300 Arsenal license the antis want for anyone holding over 1,000 rounds in their house.

Shall they all burn in hell.

[John C]

Thank God I live in Pennsylvania. This looks like the recent posts (from the Akins Accelerator fiasco) about registering trigger fingers is surely on the horizon in Jersey .

If that happens I wonder if you have to file an ATF Form 5 (temporary transfer of a firearm for repair) to have surgery performed on your trigger finger???? If your trigger finger is cut off, do you have to contact the BATFE to remove it from the registry???? If you die and your trigger finger is transplanted, does the recipient have to fime a Form 4 to transfer it?

Good God, the possibilities are endless. (I need a long vacation).

John C

[ChamberedRound]

Thats just one step closer to the $300 Arsenal license the antis want for anyone holding over 1,000 rounds in their house.

Shall they all burn in hell.

+1

Even worse, from the tone of that article they want an individual to be licensed just to buy the ammo. And although they mentioned the NJFOID would be acceptable, I'm sure they'll come up with ANOTHER license that will be required just for ammo pruchases.

NJ - A prime example of overbloated, excessive govt. NOT working in the interests of the people. And the funny thing is, the sheeple are buying it hook, line, and sinker.

[rev214]

And although they mentioned the NJFOID would be acceptable...

i'm assuming non-residents (as an example, going to a range in NJ), would need a NJFOID to carry the ammo in their vehicles in the peoples republic and/or purchase ammo in this cesspool state...another way to put the economic squeeze on range owners and ammo retailers...

but at least the gangs would be under control...

[Willtallica]

It's pointless to even let this bother you when it's in regards to New Jersey. Just hope no one here settles for taking it right up the ass like they're getting it over there in jersey while criminals get to do whatever they want.

[phillyd2]

Thats just one step closer to the $300 Arsenal license the antis want for anyone holding over 1,000 rounds in their house.

Shall they all burn in hell.

Gulp

[Willtallica]

Thats just one step closer to the $300 Arsenal license the antis want for anyone holding over 1,000 rounds in their house.

Shall they all burn in hell.

Who are these antis? I personally think they're a bunch of pretentious, but completely worthless, self-deluded soccer moms the spend most of their time in a kitchen, and driving their mini-van to the mall which they completely SUCK at doing by the way. Their allies are soft chaired people from wealthy communities, and geeky cowardly manipulating wannab soft chaired people who hide behind their vocabulary.

[whoshisface]

Yeah the guys id had him at 30 lbs heavier!

Oh my god do I have to get my licence updated if I gain weight!

Seriously WTF.

They should do a story on me buying ammo, He bought 1000 rounds of ammo from walmart, didn't even show his ID and then proceeded to fire all 1000 rounds over a two day shooting spree conducted on about 100 paper targets that had the silhouette of a man on them. OMG that's just plain outrageous, do you know how many people he could've killed! We counted at least 80% of those bullets to have hit within the 8 range, Surely that would've been death for an individual if he shot it at them. What a crazy world we live in...


I think the proper term here is...
Douche bags

[LorDiego01]

I say... instead of bitching about the illegal mexicans and chinese inmigrants..

cant we deport these anti-american anti-gun a-holes instead??