NJ gun owners rally for right to bear arms

TRENTON — New Jersey gun owners took aim at the perceived threats to their right to bear arms on Saturday with a noisy rally on the steps of the War Memorial building.

The America for America rally drew about 250 gun advocates to the plaza on a sun-drenched afternoon, New Jersey’s contribution to the national demonstration held Saturday. The plaza was draped in red, white and blue, Donald Trump was very popular, and a few even came decked out in full militia gear as speaker after speaker railed against tighter gun control and for the expansion of the right to carry.

About the only thing missing were the guns. New Jersey has among the strictest gun control laws in the nation and doesn’t allow many people to carry a firearm. Many in the crowd hoped to change that.

“All the laws in the world are not going to stop someone from hurting somebody,” said Bill Kurth, a Camden County resident who favors softer gun restrictions that would allow more people to carry. Kurth says he’s a competitive shooter, and said the law-abiding citizen who is carrying a firearm is not a danger to society.

“I think it’s a very good idea but I wish it wasn’t necessary,” he said.

Steve Rogers, the Nutley commissioner, donned a red Make America Great Again cap and urged the gun advocates to get involved in government at every level. “The Second Amendment is there to protect us from the government,” he said. “Don’t run from it. Run for it.”

Rogers called gun owners “the silent majority” and acknowledged that the Valentine’s Day mass shooing at Marjorie Stoneham Douglas school in Parkland, Florida, has energized the gun control movement. He said gun advocates have to dig in.

“Progressives are hoping that we wear out,” Rogers told the crowd. “We will never wear out.”

Many in the crowd were Constitutional literalists, who believe the Second Amendment gives them the absolute right to own any firearm they want. Others felt that the AR-15, the assault weapon used by Nikolas Cruz in the Parkland shooting, was being demonized.

“I don’t want to be associated with that piece of [excrement],” said Larry Braico, a Manchester Township resident, referring to Cruz. Braico held up a sign that on one side said, “Only traitors vote for gun control” and on the other, “Stop resisting the Constitution.”

Braico explained that the problem isn’t the size of the weapon, it’s the person who is using it. The comparison is similar to that of a car that can go 140 miles per hour, he said.

“The same way that you are able to own a car that goes 140 mph, I should be able to own a gun that fires more than 10 rounds in a clip,” Braico said.

Indeed, the New Jersey Legislature’s bill to reduce the magazine size from 15 rounds to 10 is an extremely unpopular idea with this crowd. Gov. Phil Murphy, who is expected to sign the bill, was also the object of scorn. One lady held up a sign that said Murphy “shreds” the Constituion; another sign depicted the governor with a dunce cap on his head.

The problem, according to many people in the crowd was between the government and its overzealous regulation of firearms, and with the criminals, who have got plenty of guns at their disposal.

Tony Simon, one of two African-Americans who addressed the crowd, called gun control “a 400-year-old strategy to control black people.”

Simon added, that “Unarmed people can be made into second-class class citizens much easier. Unarmed people cannot stand up against the government.”

The rally also drew several Republican candidates who were running for office: Hirsh Singh and Seth Grossman, who are vying for the GOP nod in the 2nd Congressional District, and Brian D. Goldberg, who is running for U.S. Senate.

Singh implored the crowd to ignore Trump’s low approval ratings and support candidates, like himself, who favor the president’s agenda in the upcoming primary. “The swamp is trying to drain him,” Singh said. “Hey, New Jersey is in play. We’re going to make the Democrats regret thinking New Jersey was a safe state.”

Goldberg, of West Orange, said he doesn’t own any firearms, but supports the Second Amendment right to do so. “I’m not a gun owner. I’m not even a gun enthusiast,” Goldberg said. But I understand how important the Second Amendment is. It’s fundamental for our freedom.”

The organizer of the rally, Joseph Rudi Rollo, said he doesn’t own any guns, either. “We believe that the Second Amendment is there to protect law-abiding citizens against murderers, shooters and terrorists,” he said.