Under the newly proposed gun control bill making its way through the New Jersey Legislature, a wide range of common household items, tools, sports equipment, and possibly even knitting needles, would be banned as well, according to Republican state Senator Michael Testa.

“Once again, the Democratic Majority is showing its ignorance of the law, the Constitution, and common sense in the pursuit of applause from the anti-gun crowd through a proposal that will do absolutely nothing to stop crimes committed with illegal guns,” Testa, who represents the first Legislative District, said in a statement.

“Maybe the proponents of this bill should read the law before they pass a poorly written bill that would turn everyone into criminals regardless of whether they even own a gun,” he added.

Testa said language in the Democrats’ bill actually seeks to ban “weapons” generally, instead of limiting the ban specifically to “handguns.”

The distinction between the two terms is significant under New Jersey law.

As it now stands, the legislation likely prohibits and criminalizes hundreds of common items such as tools, household goods and sporting equipment, and implements used in every facet of society. The legislation bans them in an expansive list of “sensitive places” – which, as defined in the bill, is essentially everywhere.

Testa, who is a practicing attorney, noted that N.J.S. 2C:39-1(r) defines “weapon” as “anything readily capable of lethal use or of inflicting serious bodily injury.”

This definition could include any of the following items in these so-called “sensitive places”:

– Steak knives at restaurants;

– Axes or bladed landscaping equipment at public locations;

– Hammers, saws, pocketknives or screwdrivers;

– Baseball and softball bats, hockey sticks and croquet mallets;

– Ropes, wires and extension cords (strangulation);

– And, yes, even knitting materials like needles, scissors, crochet hooks, or related equipment.

Testa also noted that renters should have a special concern about the current language of the legislation because it could require their landlord’s written consent to bring any of such items into their dwelling or place of business.

“Once again, liberal legislators have erred in focusing on restricting inanimate objects instead of those who would misuse them,” Testa added. “Democrats should put as much effort into holding criminals accountable as they do into restricting the rights of everyone else, including law-abiding gun owners.”

The Senate bill is scheduled to be heard in the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee on October 27 along with two others.