Bill advances to permit real guns, not photos, at auctions for non-profit groups

Democratic State Sen. Donald Norcross, whose Ca mden County district is one of the most densely developed in the state, may seem an unlikely champion of hunters and gun advocates.

His bill to give licensed firearms dealers the right to display their wares at fund-raising auctions for nonprofit organizations recently won unanimous approval in the full Senate. A companion measure in the Assembly, cosponsored by John Burzichelli (D., Gloucester), is in committee.

Should they become law, the bills would reverse a 2008 ruling that has limited dealers to showing only pictures of firearms at the auctions, which typically benefit groups devoted to hunting and outdoor sports, Norcross said last week.

"I'm not about putting more guns on the street, but we have to respect people's right to hunt," said the cochair of the state Angler and Hunter Conservation Caucus, who calls himself more a scuba-diving and spearfishing guy than a huntsman. The bipartisan group was founded several years ago by Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D., Gloucester).

To outdoor-sports devotees, a shotgun is "a high-profile item that attracts the most attention" at auctions, said Anthony Mauro, chairman of the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance, which has advocated for the bills. The group, which represents the interests of fishing, hunting and trapping enthusiasts, donated $500 to Norcross' 2011 election campaign.

Former Attorney General Anne Milgram, who is said to have made the change to photos only, could not be reached for comment about the legislation.

Outdoor-sports and hunting-advocacy groups have complained that their auctions have been adversely affected by potential bidders' inability to handle the firearms being offered. Viewing a photograph "doesn't have the same effect as being able to hold the shotgun," Mauro said. The guns can range in price from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands, he said.

Sweeney and Steven Oroho (R., Sussex) sponsored the Senate bill during last year's legislative session.

In response to the 2008 law, some organizations moved their fund-raising events to Pennsylvania, where displaying a firearm at a nonprofit group's auction is legal, Norcross said. Groups also tried auctioning items other than guns.

The New Jersey Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs offered a kayak at its annual fund-raiser, and hardly anyone bid on it, said Frank Virgilio, the group's president. "People like to see, touch, and feel. … A picture is lackluster, and kayaks don't fit the bill," he said.

Fund raised go to the federation's various programs, such as an annual pheasant hunt for youths, which starts with a breakfast for the young hunters and their mentors and parents, Virgilio said.

Ceasefire NJ, a gun-violence prevention group, has taken a neutral stance on the narrowly focused bill. "We didn't see this as making it easier to auction firearms," said Nicola Bocour, the organization's director.

A winning bidder would meet the licensed firearms dealer at his or her shop, where the transaction would be completed in accordance with state and federal laws, said Norcross, who chairs the Senate's public safety committee.

"This is for nothing more than to display a firearm. … Everything that was in place will remain," said Norcross, noting that New Jersey has some of the strictest gun laws in the country.

The Assembly bill, which Burzichelli also cosponsored last year, was referred to the Law and Public Safety Committee on Thursday. Gov. Christie's office said it would have no comment on the measure until, and if, it passed both houses.