New Jersey Coalition for Self Defense

One of our members wrote to us recently about trying to get photos printed at a Walgreens Pharmacy in Belleville.

The member and his brother are both gun collectors and active members of the community as a whole. The brother recently took photos of his collection for insurance purposes, and emailed them to Walgreens to have them printed.

When the brother's wife went to pick up the prints, she was told by the cashier that Walgreens did not print them because they were deemed "offensive".

Our member's brother returned to the store and spoke to the manager, who told him that he personally found the pictures offensive, and so did his staff.  When the brother asked if it was Walgreens' policy not to print pictures of guns, he refused to give a straight answer.

The member's brother contacted Walgreens Main Office on Tuesday December 29th regarding the issue. We'll be following the story.

 

It's a new year and we're looking forward to a "new" and better NJCSD in 2010.

We've been doing this long enough to know that NJCSD has the staying power to be a force for sanity, responsibility and progress regarding citizen's rights in the areas of self-defense and the gun laws of New Jersey.  It's time for NJCSD to take a more aggressive/assertive stance on many issues, put forth more specific proposals and programs and generally assume a stronger leadership role in getting things "set right" in New Jersey.

To do this we've put together a "to-do" list to guide NJCSD in our efforts and activities throughout the coming year.  A kind of "New Year's Resolution" list that will serve to focus our energies and get more and better things done for our membership and for all the citizens of New Jersey.  Getting it all done will be a challenge, but a challenge that we think we're up to -- with a little help from our friends.  Here's the list, so far:

• A Focus on Legislative Affairs - This year, NJCSD will put more time and energy into setting straight the body of laws concerning self-defense, gun rights and related issues.  Working cooperatively with those legislators who are willing, NJCSD will help draft changes to existing law and new legislation to help restore, protect and preserve our unalienable rights.  Look for more information and announcements in the coming weeks and months.  We're going to be working assertively at all levels - local, county, state and even nationally - to get the morass of onerous and burdensome laws cleaned up.
• NJCSD In the News - Our plans call for broader exposure of NJCSD and its activities in the news.  We'll be speaking out through press releases, speaking opportunities, participation on call-in shows, before legislative committees and through web-based communication more than ever before.  This year NJCSD intends to get more attention for our goals and to make people "sit up and take notice".  Look for announcements and news regarding our new, broader publicity campaign and public communication program.
• Better Membership Services and Website Features - You may have already noticed the less expensive and simplified membership plans, improved payment and event registration and our first steps toward creating an online retail store.  Look for more and more improved features, more news, more links, more blogs and a fresh new look coming soon.  It's our goal to make the NJCSD website your "go to" place for information, communication and goods and services pertinent to our common purpose.
• Expanded Activities Program - The Right to Carry Road Show (R) will grow this year and become a regular event available to more people in more locations.  This successful program has already helped hundreds of participants get their Florida Non-Resident Carry Permit and we anticipate expanding this greatly.  NJCSD will also be hosting and co-hosting several shooting events and training opportunities throughout the coming year.  Two General Meetings are planned, open to all NJCSD members and prospective members - the first will be this coming March (date and location to be announced shortly).  We're planning a very interesting agenda, with guest speakers and activities you won't want to miss.  Look for these and other upcoming events on our expanding calendar of activities for the coming year.
• Growing Partnerships with Other Organizations - Many other organizations share some or all of the goals of NJCSD.  This year we'll be forging new alliances with like-minded organizations to help leverage our own efforts and get more done together.  Look for more news and announcements about how we'll be working with other groups in the coming year.

That's just a taste of what we have in mind for NJCSD and for you as we embark on a new, more assertive and aggressive phase of our growth.  It's going to be exciting, challenging, stimulating and FUN!!! -- and we certainly hope that YOU will be along for the ride.  NJCSD has a core group of volunteers that manage all the critical areas of the organization's business and needs, but we can always use a little more help.  Many hands make the work go easier, as they say.  If you would like to help out, even for a few hours at a time, just drop us an email and we'll put you to work on something interesting and useful.  No pressure -- just an opportunity to help the cause along any way you can.

It's going to be one of the most exciting and interesting years in the history of NJCSD and we're inviting each and every one of you to be a part of it!  This is the time and the place.  Jump in -- the water's fine.

 

The people of New Jersey finally demonstrated this past Tuesday that there is indeed a line in the sand when they ousted “progressive” Democrat Jon Corzine from the Governor’s office in resounding fashion.

For the state’s self-defense advocates, Corzine’s departure will signal the end of a regime dedicated to destroying private gun ownership.

Chris Christie’s election may be an interruption in the onslaught, but as we all know, self-defense has become a foreign concept in New Jersey. Politicians - and the people - must be reacquainted with why removing New Jersey’s oppressive restrictions on a citizen’s ability to protect self, family and property will be a benefit to society in the long run.

Most of New Jersey’s firearms laws, such as the recent One-Gun-a-Month debacle, demonstrate a blatant, willful ignorance of a reality that the vast majority of state legislatures have eschewed in favor of respect for the people. Governor-elect Christie’s history shows that he has supported little if any change in the state’s laws. Whether this is for political expedience or a result of personal philosophy remains to be seen.

While for many of you this may seem like the time to take a deep breath and relax, the New Jersey Coalition for Self Defense will not rest. We have begun the process of reaching out to the new administration with the intent of opening a dialogue on the subject of self-defense and dispelling the misinformation that keeps New Jersey’s policies in the Dark Ages. We will work to give our members a better understanding of the political process so that in the coming elections we might have more influence on who is chosen for public offices. We are asking our members and supporters to remain at the ready to actively promote programs to educate the public and initiatives to move New Jersey’s gun laws in a positive direction.

Yes, for many reasons you are entitled to a long, slow exhale of relief after enduring the failures of the Corzine administration. But the fight for self-defense rights in New Jersey is far from over - it's certainly not on the Governor-elect's priority list. It’s up to all of us to put it there.  Let’s not wait until the next election to get started.

For those of you who were unable to attend the open meeting of the Firearms Task Force on September 24th, we hope this followup letter to the chairman will be of interest to you, and highlight our experience.  Read between the lines as you will.

10/24/09
Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office
Attn: Mr. Robert Bernardi
49 Rancocas Road, 2nd Floor
P.O. Box 6000
Mount Holly, NJ 08060-1384

Dear Mr. Bernardi,

The purpose of this letter is to address your exchange with our Legislative Affairs director, Mr. Bob Barush, during his testimony at the open meeting of Thursday September 24th regarding the ‘One Gun a Month’ law.

We regret that videotaping our testimony caused you obvious discomfort, which was not our intent.  The purpose for recording the transcript was to facilitate internal review so that we can become more proficient when submitting testimony going forward.  From our perspective, it seems that there are a great many “blind spots” the task force has with regard to the plight of New Jersey gun owners, which as you noted was presumably the reason Governor Corzine created the Task Force to begin with.

That said, I trust we can be forgiven for our presumption that where an open public meeting is concerned, the taxpayers of the state have a right to know and see for themselves what their elected representatives are doing, how lawmakers operate, how their issue is being treated, and how elected officials behave, as a matter of public record.  Your reaction to the videotaping has highlighted the clandestine nature of how ‘feel-good’ gun control legislation has been spirited through the legislature over the years, and stands as a testament to all that the citizens of New Jersey and lookers-on across the nation have come to expect of New Jersey politics, and politicians.