{"id":38821,"date":"2015-06-23T09:54:58","date_gmt":"2015-06-23T13:54:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/?p=38821"},"modified":"2015-06-23T09:54:58","modified_gmt":"2023-08-18T19:51:22","slug":"nj-court-denies-gun-permit-for-man-because-wife-has-alcohol-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/nj-court-denies-gun-permit-for-man-because-wife-has-alcohol-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"NJ Court Denies Gun Permit for Man Because Wife Has Alcohol Problem"},"content":{"rendered":"

A New Jersey man was denied a permit to purchase handguns by an appeals court recently because he is married to a woman with a history of substance abuse, reports NJ.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the appellate decision made public on Thursday, the court said that the woman\u2019s \u201calcohol problem\u201d and past run-ins with the law were enough to deny the applicant a Firearms Purchaser Identification Card (FPIC), which is required to purchase handguns.<\/p>\n

The appeals court decision upheld both the initial denial by the man\u2019s local police chief, who said \u201cit would not be in the interest of the public health, safety and welfare,\u201d to issue the man a FPIC, and the ruling by Judge Thomas J. Kelly which backed the chief\u2019s denied.<\/p>\n

The applicant, who already owns several long guns but was looking to purchase a few handguns so his son and him could go target shooting, testified in court that his wife \u201creceived help and was no longer drinking.\u201d The man also said that she wasn\u2019t interested in firearms and that he would keep them safely locked away.<\/p>\n

However, Judge Kelly argued that those with alcohol and drug problems “are frequently subject to relapse,\u201d and that \u201cputting more weapons in the home increased the chances of access to those guns” by the wife.<\/p>\n

The appeals court agreed with that reasoning, noting that the Second Amendment is \u201csubject to reasonable limitations,\u201d and FPIC applicants must be a \u201cperson of good character and good repute in the community in which he lives.”<\/p>\n

NJ.com published a portion of the woman\u2019s background check:<\/p>\n