Trenton newspaper claims NJ safe? Not so fast…

The grandees on the editorial board of the world-famous Times newspaper of Trenton have been vigorously patting themselves on the back again.  Generally they are trying to convince themselves – and anyone who will listen – about how great a state New Jersey is and how fortunate they are to reside in or near that garden spot that is Trenton.  Delusions, yes, but these people are paid to keep writing, “More of the same.”

In the run-up to Governor Phil Murphy’s signing of a formal declaration of war on the Bill of Rights, generally, and the Second Amendment, individually, they came up with a column praising the new restrictions and linking them as part of a tradition:

“… former Gov. James Florio set New Jersey on course to adopt the country's strongest gun-safety laws, including a ban on a wide range of semi-automatic weapons.

This coming week, a successor, Gov. Phil Murphy, is expected to do his part to keep Garden State residents safe.”

We suggest the editorial board and the politicians take some sound advice on this before becoming too overly self-congratulatory…

Crime in New Jersey is pretty much the same as it was when Jim Florio’s anti-gun legislation went into effect.   Other states have seen dramatic reductions in the crime rate, but not New Jersey. 

Before Republican Mayor Rudy Giuliani took over, New York City was synonymous with crime.  It was the city of the original “Death Wish” movies.  Giuliani’s new policing methods actually did result in a measurable and, more importantly, noticeable drop in crime.  Does anyone remember that happening in the wake of Florio’s virtue signaling?

New York City never went back to the high crime capital it once was.  And New Jersey’s cities never followed in New York’s footsteps.  Today, if you want to save some money and commute to New York from one of New Jersey’s neighboring big cities, you are taking your life in your hands.

New York City has 3.4 murders per 100,000 people.  Jersey City has 10.2 murders and Newark has 33.3 murders.  For Rape, those numbers are New York (14), Jersey City (17.6), and Newark (36.6).  Robbery… New York (198.2), Jersey City (207), and Newark (688.6).  And Burglary comes in with New York (164.9), Jersey City (368.1), and Newark (622).

So perhaps the self-congratulatory delusion is a bit early and we should have a serious discussion on what works to reduce crime rather than focusing on what feels good.