NJ ‘Sensitive Places’ Gun Ban Turns on Pre-1900 Law Debate

New Jersey’s ban on carrying firearms into schools, public transit, beaches, and stadiums will turn on whether the conservative-leaning Third Circuit chooses to emphasize gun regulation traditions from the nation’s founding or the Civil War.

That’s the message several judges pushed Wednesday in Philadelphia as gun rights advocates and firearm owners implored the full court to find broad “sensitive places” restrictions unconstitutional. If the judges block enforcement of the law, firearms owners in New Jersey could carry firearms into a wider array of crowded spaces, like hospitals and parks.

The US Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling in N.Y. State Rifle & ...