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State Sen. President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) is shown in this file photo. The state Senate today passed a bill to further restrict the permitted size of ammunition magazines, from 15 rounds to 10 rounds.

(Star-Ledger file photo)

TRENTON — A bill to further restrict the allowed size of ammunition magazines in New Jersey is now just one step from reaching Gov. Chris Christie's desk.

The state Senate today voted 22-17 to pass the bill (A2006), which would allow only ammunition magazines that can hold up to 10 rounds, down from the 15 rounds currently permitted.

“Today we’re taking another step to fulfill a promise that many of us here made to the parents of the children of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut who suffered losses that are beyond comprehension,” said state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen), the bill’s sponsor. “As legislators we vowed to do our part because we were so shocked and heartbroken by this violent tragedy.”

Weinberg noted that under the federal assault weapons ban that began in 1994 and lapsed in 2004, magazines that could hold more than 10 rounds had been banned nationwide. But magazines owned before the ban took effect were exempt, unlike under the New Jersey legislation.

But state Sen. Gerald Cardinale (R-Bergen) said the bill would only put law-abiding gun rights owners at a disadvantage against criminals, who will not follow the law.

“I have come to the conclusion that gun control favors criminals and disfavors the honest people in our society,” said Cardinale. “And until we figure out a better way, we should absent ourselves from passing these silly laws.”

The Senate also passed a companion bill (A2777), by a vote of 21-17, that would define specific instances in which drivers are allowed to make "deviations as are reasonably necessary" when transporting firearms."

Although both bills passed the Assembly in March, the Senate changed them slightly, which means the lower house will have to pass them once more before they reach Christie.

Christie has not said whether he’ll sign the magazine limit, but when asked about it at a recent town hall meeting he noted that he’s vetoed more bills than any governor in modern history.

“If and when a final version of legislation reaches his desk, it will be carefully reviewed in the 45 days period he has prior to taking any action,” Christie spokesman Kevin Roberts said.

The companion bill was intended as an olive branch for gun rights advocates, but they said it would only make the state’s current law on transporting firearms more restrictive by limiting the discretion of judges and prosecutors. Under the bill, deviations between home and the gun range would only be allowed for “collecting and discharging certain passengers, purchasing fuel, using a restroom, contending with an emergency situation, and other reasonably necessary deviations of no more than 15 minutes in duration.”

Republicans unsuccessfully attempted to amend the bill to broaden it.

Under the ammunition magazine bill, gun owners would have 180 days to “transfer, render inoperable, or voluntarily surrender” 15-round magazines. Retired law enforcement officers would be exempt.

State Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen), who voted for the bill, said he’s concerned that it will inadvertently ban some guns with fixed magazines, often antiques. The bill exempts just one model, the Marlin Model 60, which is often referred to as the “Boy Scout gun.”

“I would have preferred to be voting on a piece of legislation today that would have exempted all pieces that have fixed cartridges,” Sarlo said.

The Assembly’s next voting session is scheduled for May 22. Although the Assembly has not yet announced its agenda, advocates on both sides of the gun debate expect it to take up the bill then.

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