The New Jersey Childproof Handgun Law, also known as P.L.2002, c.130, was a now-repealed law that would restrict the sale of handguns in New Jersey to smart guns that "can only be fired by an authorized or recognized user" and would take effect three years after the technology is available for retail purposes. It has been a controversial issue for the National Rifle Association and many gun owners because of its restrictions and the unusual move that "legislates a product that does not exist". On July 16, 2019 Gov. Murphy signed into law a bill which repealed substantially all of the original Childproof Handgun Law and replaced it with a requirement that after the state Attorney General approves a production model each firearms retailer in the state would be required to carry and display at least one smart gun on their shelves with "a sign... disclosing the features of personalized handguns that are not offered by traditional handguns".
History
The law passed on December 23, 2002, and provides a timetable for implementation. Specifically: New Jersey State Senator Joseph A. Palaia, a member of the Republican Party from Monmouth County was a primary sponsor of the legislation Numerous parties blamed the law for causing research into smartgun technologies to stop. Inc. columnist Joseph Steinberg also criticized the naming of the law as "a terrible misnomer that insinuates that smartguns are somehow childproof, a notion that might encourage owners not to treat the weapons with the same care as they would conventional weapons." In 2014, the introduction of the Armatix iP1, which can identify authorized users via an electronic bracelet, rekindled debate regarding the law Death threats were received in May 2014 by an owner of Engage Armaments in Maryland, who was considering selling the gun but eventually backed off. On May 2, 2014, New Jersey SenateMajority LeaderLoretta Weinberg said she would introduce a bill repealing the 2002 law if the National Rifle Association would agree not to stand in the way of smart gun technology. On May 19, 2014, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the local chapter of the Million Mom March sued the state of New Jersey, claiming none of the required quarterly reports on the status of personalized guns were filed between at least 2004 and 2012. They said in a statement: In November 2014, the Attorney General opined that the existing smart guns do not meet the requirements of the law.
