The Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) just dropped a bombshell in the Garden State, filing a motion for summary judgment in *FPC v. Platkin* to torch New Jersey’s draconian ban on short-barreled rifles (SBRs). Teamed up with five everyday NJ gun owners, High Caliber Ordinance LLC, and Louie G’s Outdoors—and backed by the sharp legal duo of Chad Flores and Bradley Lehman—this move isn’t just paperwork; it’s a direct strike at one of the most suffocating state-level assaults on the Second Amendment. If the court sides with FPC, New Jerseyans could finally exercise their right to own these compact, versatile firearms without jumping through ATF’s National Firearms Act (NFA) hoops or risking felony charges. Picture it: no more $200 tax stamps, no more six-month wait times, and no more arbitrary state overrides of federal law that treat SBRs like contraband.
This isn’t happening in a vacuum—it’s the latest front in the post-*Bruen* battlefield, where New Jersey’s knee-jerk assault weapon expansions have been repeatedly slapped down, yet the state clings to its SBR prohibition like a security blanket. Remember, SBRs aren’t machine guns or grenades; they’re pistol-grip rifles with barrels under 16 inches, staples for home defense, hunting in tight woods, and even law enforcement use. NJ’s ban echoes the failed logic of may-issue carry permits that *Bruen* obliterated, ignoring historical tradition and analogizing modern arms to protected colonial-era weapons. FPC’s motion smartly leverages summary judgment to bypass a full trial, forcing the court to confront the lack of evidence for the ban’s public safety pretense—because data shows SBRs aren’t driving crime waves anywhere they’re legal.
For the 2A community, victory here ripples far beyond NJ’s borders. It could dismantle similar SBR restrictions in blue states like California and New York, paving the way for streamlined ownership and chipping away at NFA sacred cows nationwide. We’re talking momentum: with *Rahimi* affirming *Bruen*’s bite and SCOTUS eyeing more gun cases, this ruling might embolden challenges to suppressors and other scary accessories. Gun owners, stay locked in—FPC’s grinding for us, but your support keeps the fire lit. If they win, it’s not just legal; it’s a cultural gut punch to nanny-state tyrants, proving the right to keep and bear arms isn’t negotiable.