By Claude Brodesser-Akner | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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New Jersey has the third most restrictive gun laws in the nation.

There are already some 27 pages of statutes governing the use and ownership of firearms on the books in the Garden State — and more could be on the way, depending on who gets elected governor next month.

Here's a look at where the candidates to succeed Gov. Chris Christie stand on the issue of guns.

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Kim Guadagno, Republican

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Republican nominee Kim Guadagno, the state's lieutenant governor, has an "A" rating with the National Rifle Association, though much of that may result from the fact she has no prior history as a legislator.

During a Facebook Live with the Asbury Park Press editorial board, Guadagno insisted that "I wouldn't change the gun laws, simple as that."

That was on Oct. 4.

A week later, however, Guadagno said she was open to "harsher penalties" for those who illegally buy a handgun or use one while committing a crime, "enhancing enforcement of existing gun laws" and "more mental health background checks."

And after a gunman opened fire on a crowd in Las Vegas killing 58 and wounding more than 500 by modifying his rifles with "bump stocks" — an aftermarket device that harnesses a rifle's recoil to allow it to fire at the same rate as an automatic weapon — she told reporters earlier this month that "the bump stocks should go."

Guadagno has stated that she favors allowing residents from other states to carry concealed weapons in New Jersey if they were licensed to do so in their home state.

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Phil Murphy, Democrat

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Democratic nominee Phil Murphy makes no bones about his desire to tighten New Jersey's gun laws.

He says he would "start by signing every piece of gun violence prevention legislation that Gov. Christie has vetoed."

At the top of that long list is legislation that would prevent gang members and domestic abusers from accessing firearms.

In January 2016, while seeking the GOP nomination for president, Christie vetoed legislation that would have blocked carjackers or those convicted of gang activity or terroristic threats from owning or purchasing a firearm here.

Murphy would also mandate gun safety training, requiring that no one should be able to purchase a firearm without first attending a gun safety training course.

He also favors an existing Garden State law requiring all gun retailers to carry "at least one" so-called "smart gun" once commercially available to consumers. Smart guns recognize their owners, and only fire for them, usually using fingerprint recognition or because the owner is wearing a radio-frequency transmitter.

However, the chances of the "smart gun" law taking effect here are slim. In May 2015, one of the first gun sellers planning to offer the gun dropped plans to do after being threatened by Second Amendment activists determined to stop the New Jersey smart gun-only law from taking effect..

Like Guadagno, he also supports timely reporting of mental illness episodes to the national background check database. But he also goes a step further, saying he would make it a crime to sell guns without conducting a mandatory background check.

He would also require individuals to register their firearms kept in the state — something not currently required under state law, which only demands that new firearm purchases be recorded.

Finally, Murphy wants to impose a new surcharge on all gun sales that would fund law enforcement, drug treatment centers, and mental health services.

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The independents

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Independent candidates for governor who have mentioned guns on their websites run the gamut from highly restrictive to ultra-permissive when it comes to firearms laws.

Former U.S. Marine Matthew Riccardi, the Constitution Party's nominee, supports legislation that would allow gun owners to carry their firearms openly or concealed, without permits. A strict originalist, Ricciardi's position is to "restore the power back to those that Constitutions of our country and our state gave."

And Libertarian candidate Peter Rohrman says he favors making New Jersey "a concealed-carry state" and would focus police resources on prosecuting violent offenders.

Meanwhile, Green Party candidate Seth Kaper-Dale favors stronger background checks and closing loopholes for getting around them. But his primary concern is racial justice. Kaper-Dale wants a "bias assessment" to be undertaken as part of any gun safety initiative, and has said that many of the bills that Christie has vetoed will need to be reviewed to consider their racial impact, and, "if cleared through that process, need to be signed into law."

plans legislation that would allow gun owners to open carry and conceal carry without needing permits.

Read More:

No taxes, more guns, fewer towns, new healthcare — Other choices for NJ governor

| http://nj1015.com/no-taxes-more-guns-fewer-towns-new-healthcare-other-choices-for-nj-governor/?trackback=tsmclip

plans legislation that would allow gun owners to open carry and conceal carry without needing permits.

Read More:

No taxes, more guns, fewer towns, new healthcare — Other choices for NJ governor

| http://nj1015.com/no-taxes-more-guns-fewer-towns-new-healthcare-other-choices-for-nj-governor/?trackback=tsmclip

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What you think:

Just how important gun rights and gun control will be in the governor's race remains to be seen.

After the Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando last year, Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind Poll discovered Garden Staters strongly favored banning the sale of firearms to those on federal terrorist watch lists and/or "no fly" list, by a margin of 4 to 1.

But if national public opinion is any indication, while gun owners are more politically active than those favoring their restriction, the topic is not a prime motivator for voters.

In October, Pew Research found that just 15 percent of all U.S. adults say they have ever contacted a public official to express their opinion on gun policy.

However, gun owners were more likely to have done so, especially this year: About one-in-five gun owners (21 percent) have done this, including 9 percent who say they’ve done so in the past year.

By comparison, just 12 percent of non-gun owners have ever reached out to officials about gun policy, and only 5 percent have done so in the past year.

You can vote here on what you think the top issue in the race is, and use NJ Advance Media's interactive map to see how your neighbors voted.

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Claude Brodesser-Akner may be reached at cbrodesser@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClaudeBrodesser. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.