Anti-Gun Control Project Results in Somerset County NJ Student Being Suspended

These days, even the hint of a gun crime can provoke strong reactions from law enforcement and other people. Take the case of a Manville High School student who was recently suspended in connection with an anti-gun control video he completed for a school project. The student reportedly refused to undergo a psychological evaluation, prompting the school administration to take the punitive action against him.

According to the student, he was assigned the project during the last school year. The assignment was to present opposing viewpoints and opinions on gun control. Specifically, the student’s presentation included political cartoons and accounts of situations where people have used firearms to deter home invaders. Someone found the student’s video on his thumb drive that he accidentally left in the school’s computer lab. After seeing the video, school officials demanded that the student undergo an evaluation before being permitted to return to school grounds. Ultimately, the student decided to withdraw from school and pursue a GED instead.

Second Amendment rights and gun-control laws have been at the forefront of national news lately as a result of police shootings, mass shootings, and accidental deaths caused by firearms. The fact remains, however, that gun laws in New Jersey and elsewhere do permit people to possess and use firearms. In fact, although New Jersey’s gun crime laws are among the country’s strictest gun control laws, the firearm laws in NJ do allow possession of firearms such as handguns, rifles, and shotguns.

Of course, it is important to keep in mind that the gun laws in New Jersey are incredibly strict and carry severe penalties if a handgun owner does not follow the proper procedures to obtain a Firearms Purchaser Identification Card or Permit to Purchase a Handgun. Moreover, there are laws that control how a person can legally store, transport, and use their firearm.

The bottom line is that although it is legal to own a gun in New Jersey, state firearms laws are extensive and control virtually every aspect of purchasing, possessing, and transporting guns. This means that the slightest misstep by a gun owner – even a gun owner who legally obtained the firearm – can result in the county prosecutor bringing criminal charges for unlawful possession of a weapon or possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. These charges could result in heavy fines and significant prison time.

To learn more about New Jersey’s gun laws, including how to legally purchase a gun and the criminal firearms laws, click here.

Gun Rights and Gun Control in Somerset County, New Jersey

For additional information about Manville student suspension, access the Washington Times article, “New Jersey Student Suspended for Anti-Gun Control Project: Report.”