DANCER BILL ALLOWS OFF DUTY LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS TO CARRY FIREARMS ON STATE PROPERTY

To enhance public safety, Assemblyman Ron Dancer has introduced legislation that will allow off-duty law enforcement officers to carry firearms on state property.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – (RealEstateRama) — “In this terroristic day and age that we are living in, government infrastructure has become a prime target for domestic and international terrorists. Police officers are our first line of defense and they rightfully carry their weapons,” said Dancer (R-Ocean). “Carrying a weapon while off-duty also puts them in a better position to effectively respond to a public threat regardless of where or when that threat occurs. This legislation is a common sense measure to enhance public safety.”

The bill (A3513) permits off-duty law enforcement officers to carry a firearm onto any state property, including the capitol complex which includes the statehouse, the statehouse annex and adjacent public grounds, walkways, driveways and parking areas.

Dancer said he learned of the prohibition from a statement released by Patrick Colligan, state president of the New Jersey State Policemen’s Benevolent Association that hundreds of PBA members from throughout the state had planned to attend the group’s Second Annual Trenton Day earlier this month to see how the legislative process works first hand. However, the PBA President was informed that the police officers could not bring their weapons to the statehouse.