July 16, 2004

OK, this isn't exactly a letter; it's officially a "statement" from New Jersey Senate President Richard J. Codey. It was issued on July 16, 2004, the same day that the New Jersey Chapter of Second Amendment Sisters - along with Gun Owners of New Jersey, NJ Coalition for Self-Defense, and the Association of NJ Rifle and Pistol Clubs - held a "Can the Ban" rally on the steps of the Trenton Statehouse. The Senator's statement is also available here.

CODEY TO 'TWISTED' SISTERS: "WE'RE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT"
Senate President Says Gun Advocates' Message "Outside the Realm of Reality"

TRENTON - Senate President Richard J. Codey, the driving force behind New Jersey's recent law to require childproof guns when the technology becomes economically viable, issued the following statement regarding today's assemblage in front of the Statehouse of the Second Amendment Sisters, Inc., an organization that advocates for the dissolution of gun control laws under the guise of "a woman's right to protect herself:"

"It may just be that I've been a little preoccupied with the recent enactment of the FY 2005 Budget, but I wasn't aware that, as the Second Amendment Sisters claim, society had gotten so bad that a woman's only hope to avoid violence is to carry around an Uzi and not be afraid to use it.

"That statement isn't exactly true, mind you, but gun advocacy groups, like the Second Amendment Sisters, would rather that the general population believe otherwise, because it's through misinformation and fear that their cause actually gains any footing. Regardless of the actual facts, they're willing to push a bleak world view where a woman's only chance of survival is to have a bigger gun than the next person.

"Call me naive, but I'd like to believe otherwise.

"I'd like to believe that there's enough common sense left in the world that disputes don't have to degenerate into a Showdown at the O.K. Corral. I'd like to believe that most women will choose to use basic common sense, such as traveling in large groups and only in well-lit, heavily populated areas, before resorting to violence on their own.

"The presence of a firearm rarely defuses a potentially violent situation, but rather, escalates violence to the breaking point. Rather than advocating for more guns on the street, we should bring attention to the need for more policemen in high-crime areas. I may be out of line here, but I'd rather see the decision to use lethal force being made by a highly-trained safety expert.

"While I don't disagree with the argument that women's safety issues are very important in today's society, I think it's downright unconscionable to use scare tactics to advocate for diminishing gun control laws, and allowing more weapons on our streets.

"When the Second Amendment Sisters are willing to have a rational discussion of how to improve women's safety in a civilized world, I'm open to that discussion. If they'd rather live in the Old West, where gunfights on street corners were commonplace, I have a time machine I'm willing to sell them that will go nicely with their unrealistic world views."

SAS EXCLUSIVE...

SISTERS SEEK RATIONAL DISCUSSION WITH NJ SENATE PRESIDENT

"When the Second Amendment Sisters are willing to have a rational discussion of how to improve women's safety in a civilized world, I'm open to that discussion."

So stated New Jersey Senate President Richard Codey in what can only be described as an embarrassing public statement, in which he also declared that instead of putting up a defense against violent criminals, women should "choose to use basic common sense, such as traveling in large groups and only in well-lit, heavily populated areas, before resorting to violence on their own."

SAS Coordinators Marilyn Lapidus (NJ) and Jami Ford (WY) offered to take NJ Senate President Richard Codey up on his request for a rational discourse, but Codey's press secretary said that the Senator felt the discussion was "too heated at this point", and that Codey would "have to decline because he is far too busy preparing for the DNC." We sincerely hope that Sen. Codey's preoccupation with the Democrat National Convention doesn't hamper his capacity for thought in the same way that the 2005 New Jersey Budget did, and that he can remain true to his own words.

Related article: The World According to Dick

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