The legislation sponsored by Sen. Bryan Townsend, D-Newark, seeks to block the sale, transfer or import of about 60 specific makes and models of semi-automatic rifles and handguns, along with so-called "copycat weapons" defined by features such as folding stocks, flash suppressors and grenade launchers.
Violation of the proposed law would be a felony punishable by up to three years in prison for a first offense and a five-year prison term for a second offense.
The list of banned weapons would include rifles commonly referred to as AK-47s and AR-15s, along with a variety of semi-automatic shotguns and "assault pistols," such as UZIs and the rapid-fire Beretta 93R.
Anyone who currently owns one of those weapons would be allowed to keep their guns, although using and transporting those grandfathered firearms would be strictly limited. There would be no requirement to register those guns with the state, however.
