Follow up on Philadelphia mother who unintentionally violated New Jersey's gun laws

The penalty for this mother of two children is out of all proportion to any possible harm that she did.  The point of these laws in New Jersey is to make people so afraid of violating the laws that they are worried about owning guns.  More background on the case is available here.  The new article from Fox News:

Allen, who has no prior criminal record, said she acquired the gun legally just a week prior to her arrest. She was headed to Atlantic City, N.J., in the early-morning hours to prepare for her son’s birthday party, which was being held three days later. 

“I was bringing a cake and the dog to the hotel room to surprise him,” she said. “That’s what I was doing out there and I got pulled over at 1 in the morning because I was sleepy and I swerved.” 

Allen purchased the gun for protection after being robbed twice in the past year, she said, adding that she never even fired it and feels somewhat snake-bitten by the entire ordeal.
“It’s definitely a freak thing,” she said. “I was trying to do a good thing and it turned out so bad — and just like that. I don’t know how to explain it, I really don’t.” 

Allen reiterated that she immediately told the officer she had a gun in her 2007 Chevrolet sedan, as well as a concealed carry permit for neighboring Pennsylvania. 

“The officer knew there was a gun there, she was completely honest and open,” her attorney, Evan Nappen, said. “There are no aggravating factors in this case; she’s a single mom of two, working in the medical field who was robbed twice and that’s what inspired her to get a gun license in the first place.” . . .

Young woman's life likely destroyed because of NJ's bizarre gun laws

Dallas News | myFOXdfw.com

Fox News in Dallas-Fort Worth has this story from New Jersey:

27 year-old Shaneen Allen wanted to protect her family. She took a gun safety course, applied for and was granted a concealed carry permit and she purchased a gun. 

“One of my family members, he thought it was appropriate for me to get one because I’m a single mother and I have two children and I work two jobs and I work late and getting up at that time of night I got robbed twice last year and he felt the need for me to get my license to protect me and my kids,” Allen explained. 

However, while Allen, from Philadelphia, was covered to carry a gun in Pennsylvania, she made the mistake of crossing into New Jersey with the weapon and now she's facing a mandatory minimum of three-years in jail. 

Allen said that she didn't know her permit didn't apply to New Jersey so when she was stopped for a minor traffic offense she told the police about her gun and her permit to carry. In this case, being honest may have cost her. 

“The judge tried to tell me that telling the truth messed me up, my life up and the cop said the same thing. Me opening my mouth and speaking out he said I’m one out of ten people that spoke up and was honest and that got me in trouble,” she said. 

Allen was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of hallow-point bullets which were in the gun. Under New Jersey gun laws, the illegal possession of a gun is a second-degree felony which holds a minimum sentence of three-years in prison. . . .

Note that when there was a related travesty with Brian Aitken in 2009 and 2010, Governor Christie commuted his sentence.  From the Star-Ledger:

Brian Aitken, who was convicted of illegally possessing three handguns he had legally purchased in Colorado, will be out of prison in time for Christmas.
Gov. Chris Christie commuted Aitken's sentence Monday, from seven years to time served, according to an order signed by the governor. It was Christie's first commutation since taking office almost a year ago. . . .
In 2009, Aitken was arrested for possessing three handguns and ammunition — the guns were unloaded — after state police found them in the trunk of his car. Aitken was visiting his mother in Burlington County when she became concerned about his well-being and called the police.
Aitken, who had recently moved from Colorado where he bought the guns, faced felony charges the same as if he had used the guns to commit a crime. Supporters of Aitken began a Facebook campaign to get his sentence commuted. . . . .

15 gun control bills before New Jersey Gov Christie

As if New Jersey doesn't already have enough gun control laws, they apparently haven't had trouble coming up with even more proposals.

A3687: Bans those on the federal terrorist watch list from buying guns 

S2468: Allows impounding motor vehicles if driver unlawfully has a gun 

A3717: Requires state to submit data on those who should be barred from owning guns to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System 

A3796: Gives those who possess illegal guns 180 days to dispose of them 

A3797: Requires New Jersey enforcement agencies to report information on lost, stolen and discarded guns to federal databases 

A3583/1613: Establishes School Security Task Force 

A3788: Turns state regulation that firearms owner info is not public information into a state law 

A3659: Bans the .50-caliber rifle — the most powerful weapon available to civilians 

S1279: Upgrades penalty for unlawfully transferring a firearm to an underage person; permits transfer for instruction and training 

S2430: Declares violence a public health crisis and establishes "Study Commission on Violence" 

S2715: Requires Department of Education to prepare and distribute pamphlets on how parents can limit a child’s exposure to media violence 

S2719: Enhances penalties for gun trafficking firearms offenses 

S2720: Clarifies that information concerning the total number of firearms purchaser identification cards and permits to purchase a handgun issued in a municipality are public records 

S2804: Makes unlawful possession of firearms a first-degree crime; increases mandatory minimum sentences under the "Graves Act" 

S2723: Senate President Stephen Sweeney’s "centerpiece" bill on gun permits that would would encode firearm purchase permits on a driver's license or a photo ID card, create a system for instant background checks, require gun buyers to show they completed a safety training course and stiffen penalties for letting guns slip into the hands of minors. Four bills passed by the Assembly (A3510, A1683, A3645 and A3748) have been incorporated into this bill 

Another outrageous gun case in New Jersey

David Codrea has this:

“A late flight landed Utah gun owner Greg Revell in jail for 10 days after he got stranded in New Jersey with an unloaded firearm he had legally checked with his luggage in Salt Lake City,” the Associated Press reports.
Because of a late flight, Revell missed his connecting flight. His luggage had been erroneously routed to Newark. He collected it.
And he was then arrested, going through a nightmare that included “10 days in several different jail”—and think about that, and the type of terrifying population they had this man immersed in. He had charges hanging over his head for months, and his private property confiscated for years. . . .