Nation: NEW JERSEY'S MODEL GUN LAW

A TOUGH, comprehensive gun-control law enacted in New Jersey 22 months ago might well serve as a model for federal action. Chapter 151 of the Revised New Jersey Statutes requires that all owners or would-be owners of firearms have an identification card, involving fingerprinting and a character investigation. A criminal record, narcotics addiction, alcoholism, mental illness or a physical handicap that would impair proficiency with a gun are all grounds for withholding the card. The police may also reject "any person where the issuance would not be in the interest of the public health, safety or welfare"—a catchall designed to keep...

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