On the heels of a New Jersey woman’s murder last week, three state senators plan to introduce a measure to fast-track gun permit applications for recipients of restraining orders.
Hairdresser Carol Bowne, who had applied for a handgun permit back in April because she feared her ex might hurt her, was stabbed to death in her driveway last Wednesday. The permit was still in processing at the time—a sad episode displaying the consequences of the state’s restrictive gun-control laws.
The proposed fast-tracking of permits for those in fear is a positive move, but one that is too little, too late for Bowne. Had Bowne lived in nearly any other state, she could have simply purchased a gun for self-defense, and might very well still be alive today. The fact that she couldn’t—and died because of it—should shame all New Jersey politicians who support the state’s anti-gun laws.
