The state Supreme Court heard oral arguments today over Jersey City's one-handgun-per-month law as a prominent gun control group pledged to keep pressure on lawmakers to pass a similar law at the state level.

The Jersey City rule would limit gun buyers to one handgun purchase every 30 days, but it was thrown out by a lower court that ruled that municipalities don't have the authority to impose their own rules on gun sales. Bill Matsikoudis, an attorney for the city, argued that towns should have the right under "home rule" to enact their own gun laws. The law is supposed to be aimed at "straw" buyers who purchase guns legally and then pass them to criminals.

Arguing for gun-rights groups, Frank Pisano III said rules on gun sales should be left to the Legislature.

A plan for a statewide one-handgun-per-month law has passed the Assembly but stalled in the Senate, where three South Jersey Democrats and all 17 Republicans have voted against it, most saying they don't think the law will reduce crime and instead put unfair limits on law-abiding citizens.

The Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs says criminals are not buying guns through legal means anyway, and that many people buy multiple handguns at once because the waiting period of New Jersey can be so long.

Bryan Miller, executive director of Ceasefire NJ, said he still plans to push the Legislature to impose the limit statewide. To get that measure passed he would have to convince at least one Senator to change sides.

"We want the word to get out across the state who has failed to vote for this common sense measure," Miller said after the court hearings in Trenton.

Scott Bach, president of the Rifle and Pistol clubs, said he would watch the bill closely.

"We think there is a critical mass of legislators that has been reached that understand that this bill will do nothing to reduce crime and (who) want to find real solutions," Bach said.

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