By Ned Thomson

Our country has always been known as a place where people are free. No matter how poor, no matter if you are an immigrant, no matter your upbringing, there is opportunity. Some of those opportunities are enshrined as rights in our Constitution. Any time those rights are being infringed on is a cause for concern.

New Jersey is the only state bold enough to use a pandemic to stand in the way of the Second Amendment. No matter the issue, the fact is that constitutional rights should never be infringed.

On March 21, Gov. Phil Murphy decided which businesses were considered essential and can remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic. This week he added to the list of businesses he considers essential. On both occasions, he ignored that people have a right to bear arms and kept gun stores closed.

All elected officials vow an oath:

“I do solemnly swear that I will uphold the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey, and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same and to the Governments established in the United States and in this State, under the authority of the people and that I will faithfully, impartially and justly perform all of the duties … according to the best of my ability. So help me God.”

On March 26, the same day Murphy expanded essential businesses, two lawsuits were filed in federal court to prove that Murphy has violated his oath to defend the Constitution and made it impossible to purchase a gun in New Jersey. The last thing our governor and attorney general need to defend are two more lawsuits while we face the current health crisis.

Liquor stores and medical marijuana dispensaries, bicycle shops, cell phone retailers, and office supplies (while offices have been strongly urged to find a way for employees to work from home) do not have a Constitutional defense. If any business can remain open, those pertaining to our rights should be automatically included, not purposely shutdown.

This is about whether you think the government should be able to tell you your rights don’t matter.

There is a reason the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution. What sets us apart as Americans is that in our society, no matter what pressures exist in the world – even the pandemic we face today – our rights will be upheld. That is the promise to every American and those who want to be American. If we set aside those rights, no matter how good-hearted the reason, we dishonor every sacrifice made by generations of Americans.

Murphy always says he wants to make New Jersey the California of the East Coast. Despite California’s flaws – such as widespread homelessness, drastic income inequality and, like New Jersey, more people moving out than moving in year after year – most jurisdictions in the state respected the fact that it must not violate rights, including the Second Amendment.

Since the pandemic, gun stores have seen more business than they ever could have expected. That is much needed economic activity, keeping businesses running and workers employed from the store to the warehouse to the factory. It is a wake-up call that first-time gun buyers don’t have an opposition to guns because they understand safety is their personal responsibility.

People are worried that in bad times the world may become more dangerous. The unknown can be a scary thought, and the ability to defend yourself is not only a right but a comfort. New Jersey’s current laws require permitting and access to a gun shop for acquiring a handgun. New Jersey’s gun-control laws are extensive; if they work in good times there should be no cause for alarm that gun businesses remain open.

I believe Gov. Murphy would agree with me that people are good. Most people are willing to help their neighbors and strangers, not harm them. We are all safer when we decide that we will be ready to defend ourselves and anyone else in harm’s way. Unfortunately, Murphy has decided that he will not defend us as his oath prescribes.

This is all happening during a crisis we have not experienced in our lifetimes. While crime seems to be down during the pandemic, people still have a need, and a prerogative, to exercise their rights.

For New Jersey to stand in the way of that is unconscionable, unethical, and dishonorable. We swore an oath, all elected officials swore an oath, but Murphy’s actions have betrayed his words.

Assemblyman Edward Thomson, R-Monmouth, is the Republican whip and represents the 30th Legislative District.

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