TRENTON — In the wake of the shooting massacre in Aurora, Colo., Gov. Chris Christie today said New Jersey's gun laws are sufficient, but took a veiled swipe at Democrats who called for stronger controls.

"I think we have enough gun laws now," he said in a Statehouse news conference. "And it's time for us to enforce the gun laws that we have now, which I think we do fairly well here in this state.

Though he was asked to elaborate three times, the Republican governor said he was offended by what he called the swift politicization of the killings.

"People were just killed over the weekend," he said. "Can we take a deep breath before politicians start sending out press releases? Can we allow the people to be mourned appropriately by their families before you have opportunistic politicians out there trying to make political points in an election year?"

Christie did not refer by name to U.S. Sens. Frank Lautenberg or Bob Menendez, who faces a challenge from Christie's friend state Sen. Joe Kyrillos (R-Monmouth), but the Democrats issued statements calling for the restoration of a ban on high-capacity magazine sales.

Lautenberg's measure is part of a package of bills unveiled in January of last year; a similar ban expired in 2004. Menendez called Friday's shooting "a wake-up call."

Though as governor Christie has rarely talked publicly about gun control, as a candidate he spoke out against a federal effort for "right-to-carry reciprocity," which would have given someone with a carry permit in their home state the same protections in any other state. His stance is a departure from New Jersey's House GOP delegation who voted for it last year.

"I believe that each state should have the right to make firearms laws as they see fit," Christie said during the campaign. "I don't believe it's right for the federal government to get into the middle of this and decide firearms laws for the people of the state of New Jersey."

He reiterated that position today.

"This event has nothing to do with that," he said. That was my opinion before. That remains my opinion. I think each state should have the ability to make their own guns laws. The citizens of that state should have the ability to make their own gun laws."

He added that President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have handled the tragedy appropriately. Both briefly suspended their campaigns' attack ads.

"I'm not going to get into the gun control issue while these people are still waiting to be buried," he said. "And it may not offend you or bother you, but it offends me and bothers me."

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