The Patriot Post® · Christie Pardons Mom Facing Stupid Gun Charge

Even though common sense prevailed when New Jersey dropped the prosecution of two individuals who ran afoul of its gun laws, the state’s broken laws need a change. Shaneen Allen thought she was in the clear when she drove into New Jersey with her Pennsylvania-legal handgun. Instead, she faced years in a New Jersey jail. The state dropped the prosecution, but Allen still needed to attend a pre-trial intervention class. On Thursday, Governor Chris Christie pardoned Allen, and the move possibly sets a precedent for other out-of-state travelers caught in Jersey’s gun laws. “It was quite a fight for her down there in Atlantic County, and it led to significant changes. Hundreds of folks were helped by her case,” Allen’s lawyer Evan Knappen said. “It’s a little absurd to take someone who’s a law-abiding citizen in their home state but then put them into a New Jersey state prison for a mandatory three- to five-year sentence and make them a felon.” In February, the Garden State dropped the prosecution of Gordon van Gilder, a former teacher who was caught with – the horrors! – an antique flintlock pistol. Some in the state realize there is a problem. But the problem now is that citizens only rely on the state’s benevolence, not a law that rules over everyone equally. More…