“A group of gun rights fanatics protested last week at the home of Senate President Steve Sweeney,” an nj.com editorial reports (substituting the word “fanatics” for “protestors”), “throwing reckless accusations at him, annoying his wife, and scaring the wits out his disabled daughter. Sweeney, after holding his crying daughter in his arms for two hours, turned on his sprinklers to soak the motley crew of malcontents. To which we say: Right on.” Does the idea of dousing civil rights advocates remind you of anything? [Click here for a trip down memory lane.] The protesters took their “punishment” in stride. But that wasn’t good enough for nj.com . . .

Watch the video of Sweeney, a bulky ironworker with extensive pedigree of bar fights as a young man, and you can see that he showed restraint. If he had his way, he would have pounded them into the ground like railroad spikes.

This crowd blames Sweeney (D-Gloucester) for single-handedly blocking laws to allow concealed-carry gun permits. That’s nutty for a lot of reasons. But the first one is that Sweeney is not to blame. There is almost no support in this state for concealed-carry laws.

Is that “railroad spikes” comment a direct quote or wishful thinking on the paper’s part? Anyway, it appears that the anti-gun paper doesn’t share our view that the natural, civil and Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms is not subject to the democratic process. Like, I dunno, the right to free assembly. Which nj.com supports – within limits.

Yes, this is America and the right to protest is sacred. But federal and state courts have approved limits on the time and manner of protest, especially at private homes. The council in West Deptford is considering restrictions that would force the protester to move 100 feet away from homes, and to limit their protests to one hour every two weeks. That’s overkill, but legal experts say it might survive court challenge.

In the meantime, we urge the protestors take their fight to Trenton, where it belongs. And if they come back at Sweeney, maybe he should pull out the hose.

I wonder how nj.com feels about local pols’ “overkill” response to the pro-gun protest [as reported in a follow-up article] . . .

On Wednesday, the town introduced a proposed ordinance that would regulate picketing in residential areas, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. In an overhaul of a 1971 loitering ordinance, the measure would ban “picketing that is targeted at and is within one hundred (100) feet of the property line of a residential dwelling.”

Beyond that distance, picketing would be limited to no more than 10 people for “one hour every two weeks,” and the West Deptford police would have to be notified at least 24 hours in advance. Violators would be subject to fines of up to $2,000, imprisonment of up to 90 days, or up to 90 days of community service.

And this they’re doing in the name of . . . wait for it . . . money. Which they would do for . . . wait for it . . . anyone.

Democratic Deputy Mayor James Mehaffey said the township had information that the protests were going to get “larger and more direct,” while the town police department says it doesn’t have the manpower to assign an officer to a spontaneous protest.

“We would do this for anyone,” Mehaffey told the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Police Chief Samuel DiSimone told the committee that each shift has a minimum of three officers and a maximum of six, and that assigning an officer to a protest would limit the department’s ability to respond to other incidents, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

If you were wondering if the fight to restore Americans’ gun rights was a fight to protect liberty in all its forms, wonder no more.

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65 COMMENTS

  1. On one hand I kind of understand the idea of not protesting outside someone’s private residence. I doubt you would want your boss calling you up on your days off and berating your job performance. On the other hand, that law screams first amendment violation. Then again, when the federal government can enact first amendment zones without even making a blip on the radar, it shouldn’t be surprising.

    • Sorry acts against the constitution warant the freedom of assembly at said tyrants residence. Especially when that home is paid for by a salary taken from the publics dish.

      • if any form of protest got in my way or on my property…. they will be Drenched in peppers pray, not water.

        but the post is way off, NJ has massive support for Conceal Carry, by citizens and police. only Democrat political elites and top brass are opposed to it. maybe 1/3 of the citizens at best are against it in NJ.

        just to many morons and the 20% loyal libs keep tricking/forcing city people to vote democrat. they force by telling those on welfare that if they dont vote liberal, they will lose everything. Here in NJ the left openly, without any fear teach people how to vote repeatedly each election, including providing transport to pole after pole. they even offer to fill out registration and mailin ballots for people so no vote is wasted.

        • “NJ has massive support for Conceal Carry, by citizens and police. only Democrat political elites and top brass are opposed to it. maybe 1/3 of the citizens at best are against it in NJ.”

          Does NJ have any ballot initiative type system where a number of petition signatures will result in forcing a ‘Proposition XX’ onto the ballot in the general election?

          If that many support carry force it down their throats.

        • So what I’m hearing is… ” I stand for the Bill of Rights but people holding office that violate the Bill of Rights should not be pestered about being a tyrant”. Way to go fellas, that will show them. I mean they care so much about us that we will never have to force them into upholding the constitution.

    • Yes. Shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to tar, feather and mount on a fence rail. Can then leave the residence for the parade of the tory around the town square.

        • I’ve been wondering the same thing, I’m also in favor of stoning. I think it would only have to happen twice every few years. The first time would be for the really corrupt politician the second stoning would be for the politician that proposes a bill banning stoning of politicians.

  2. I abhor the tactic of protesting at someone’s home, no matter who they are or what they’ve done. Typical of the childish tantrum throwers on the left like SEIU and OWS.

    • I tend to agree. They may have the right to assemble there, but it’s not a tactic I personally would choose.

      • Agree. Does this meet the standard of “peaceable” assembly in the 1st Amendment ? Protest at a legislator’s office is fair game. At his house ? I say bad form and and a charge of disturbing the peace.

  3. New Jersey……..surprise, surprise?……but why……there should be no surprise. Nothing new here.

  4. Get one of those cops to ticket the vehicle blocking the public right of way (sidewalk).

  5. Newspapers are now advocating violence in response to non violent protest and non violence for violent rioting. We have officially entered bizarro world.

    • It’s the same logic they are using to blame all whites, gun owners and republicans because a single nutbag shot up a black church. All are guilty by the action of 1.

      Unless of course it’s a cause they support because how dare anyone blame all Muslims for the actions of a few million of them.

      And if this happened to a bunch of black lives matter paid agitators protesting in front of the police chiefs house…they would be singing a different tune. It would be pure outrage.

    • Well, newspapers are the media, the are leftists, and we all know leftists advocate violence, especially towards gun owners.

  6. No new law is needed. Peaceable assembly is legitimate. That does not mean non-violent, it means assembly that does not disturb the peace. If the protest disrupts the peace of the. neighborhood it can be made to disband, or face arrest.
    Having your sprinklers on is legal as well, hosing people down for being on the sidewalk is not.

  7. This is the first time I’ve heard that the victims family was there. I could only imagine the outrage NJ.Com would have if it was Christie turning the sprinklers on the newton victims families, They would be calling for his head.

  8. I don’t like them picketing at the man’s home. Mau-mauing the man’s family and personal residence goes too far for me. I wouldn’t pass a law against it, but I wouldn’t participate in it and I would strongly discourage it.

  9. I wonder how nj,com responded when Occupy protesters tried to storm the houses of bank CEOs.

    • Or when Spike Lee tweeted George Zimmerman’s wrong address. NJ.com and the Star Loser Editorial Board are nothing but a bunch of liberal progressive hypocrite pinko commies. I doubt if they’re aware that the Bill of Rights contains more than the 1st amendment.

      • What 1st Amendment? The one for themselves and no one else? Libs are happy to tread underfoot the right of free expression to either (a) promote a “right” that is nowhere to be found in the constitution ( see the draconian rules anti-abortion protestors have been forced to deal with for decades) or (b) to help neuter another enumerated right that the libs really don’t care for (yep, the one referenced in the 2A), as here.

  10. Have you ever noticed how, when crazies on the right start acting butt hurt and pretending to suffer as badly as the civil rights marchers during the early 60’s, the rest of the nation gets really turned off by the bogus piety?

    Until a bunch of ammosexuals gets shot or beaten, no one is going to care. It’s just not the same struggle.

    And take a look at how fast the Stars and Bars is going down today. Many on the right argued that the Stars and Bars represented some sort of “right”. A free speech right to be obnoxious. That quit flying when that yahoo shot up a church in South Carolina.

    So keep talking about your “rights” all that you want. And don’t shift the message towards responsible gun ownership and weeding out the bad apples amongst yourselves.

    Because the rhetoric is basically backfiring with each tragic mass shooting and you are making yourselves look like fools compared to more reasonable voices.

    • “… you are making yourselves look like fools compared to more reasonable voices.”

      And there you have it. People like God advocate that “fools” do not have rights.

    • You do realize that the freedoms of man rest in four boxes right? If you deny us the first three, we will use the last.

    • Could just have easily been this post, and as meaningful (not meaningful at all):

      “Have you ever noticed how, when crazies on the LEFT start acting butt hurt and pretending to suffer as badly as the civil rights marchers during the early 60’s, the rest of the nation gets really turned off by the bogus piety?

      Until a bunch of LIBTARDS gets shot or beaten, no one is going to care. It’s just not the same struggle.

      And take a look at how fast the FLAG BURNING is going down today. Many on the LEFT argued that the burning the flag represented some sort of “right”. A free speech right to be obnoxious. That quit FLAG BURNING when that yahoo shot up a church in South Carolina.

      So keep talking about your “rights” all that you want. And don’t shift the message towards COMMON SENSE GUN BANNING and weeding out the bad apples amongst yourselves.

      Because the rhetoric is basically backfiring with each tragic mass shooting EXPLOITATION and you are making yourselves look like fools compared to more reasonable voices.”

      /SARC

      REF flag burning

      http://therightscoop.com/death-of-a-liberal-narrative-dylann-roof-asked-friend-to-film-him-burning-the-american-flag/

    • Now, now Little Johnny… Please go over there and play with the crayons and coloring books and stop interrupting the adults when we’re talking.

  11. If his family was so distressed by the protest, they should have had some kind of self protection, like, oh, I don’t know. Can’t believe it took 2 hours to think of turning the sprinklers on. Slow learner, I guess.

  12. He’s a public official, collecting a public salary – he is (supposed to be) a servant of the people.

    His policies suck and the people are letting him know that his policies suck.

    If Sweeney doesn’t like the heat, then he should get the hell out of the kitchen (and off the public payroll).

    Sadly for NJ, this moron will probably be our next governor. God help us.

  14. Observations about NJ Senate President Steve Sweeney:

    1. As a Democrat, he must surely be against global warming, yet he puled up in BIG gas guzzling SUV and had gas 2 guzzlers in his driveway (Cadillac and Jeep) that I presume are his as well. He probably does not want us little people to own gas guzzlers in order to protect the environment, but he has 3.

    2. He has a sprinkler system for his yard. Isn’t that wasteful of water, a natural resource that needs to be preserved. He’d probably rather that we pee-ons not waste water, but he sure does not mind, and even wastes water on peaceful protestors.

    3. He looks a bit on the rotund side of obese. I doubt Senate President Steve Sweeney got that way eating nuts and berries like most of his rabid environmentalist supporters. I bet he votes for stringent animal rights and anti-livestock regs for his socialists constituents, then goes to the local eatery and orders a few pork chops as an appetizer, then orders a 16 oz. prime cut steak for the main course.

    4. His house is a little on the large side to me. Is he heating and cooling it with windmills and solar panels? I did not see any in his front yard – the palce he would put them if he were proud of them and wanted to show his constituents that he was consistent with the way he votes on environmental issues. And isn’t a big house wasteful of other resources that go into building materials?

    Anyone else see any potential hypocrisy in NJ Senate President Steve Sweeney (D)?

  15. Well, the man has every right to turn on his lawn sprinklers. (Depending on local water use ordinances of course.) If someone’s on your property and you ask them to leave but they don’t, well, that’s called trespassing. And I can’t really feel sympathy iif they get soaked.

    However, protesting on a public right of way, that’s another thing altogether. While it might be in poor taste to picket a politician’s house (if privately owned as opposed to one provided to them as a perk) so long as its done on public land I don’t see a legal objection.

  16. It’s okay if liberal Leftists do this, though. Let me remind you all of a few incidents.

    SEIU shows up at private residence with 14 buses loaded with 500 screaming protestors with bullhorns on private property. In violation of Montgomery County, MD law (ordinance Chapter 32, Section 32-23). The police were called but refused to show up until it was all over. The police did nothing.
    http://archive.fortune.com/2010/05/19/news/companies/SEIU_Bank_of_America_protest.fortune/index.htm
    Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k80hI_hlzlE

    Here’s some more SEIU “protests” on private property.

    Bus loads of purple-shirted SEIU thugs, 200-300 total, stormed a conference here in MI where California Nurses Association leaders were addressing 800 participants. The SEIU yelled, banged on doors as loud as they could, and attacked banquet participants sending one conference attendee to the hospital and leaving one SEIU member dead (of an apparent heart attack). Of course no SEIU members were arrested.

    SEIU organizers threatened NUHW supporters with physical violence, profanity, and sexual threats to intimidate them as they walked door to door. At least two workers’ homes were vandalized.

    SEIU members beat California state worker Ken Hamidi at a SEIU local union hall and sent him to the hospital.

    SEIU thugs broke into a meeting and assaulted workers during a corporate campaign. The SEIU organizers stated, “We will never let your employees have a secret ballot election.”
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnZyOhEN1KU&NR=1

    Here’s video of SEIU organizers attacking Garden Grove Hospital employees in the hospital.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hznSuacEN_I

    Of course, one of the most infamous attacks was when SEIU thugs beat Kenneth Gladney as he was handing out Gadsen flags. Here is a link to the police report.
    http://biggovernment.com/capitolconfidential/2009/11/09/exclusive-police-report-on-gladney-beating-by-seiu-thugs/

  18. Pretty soon all rights in NJ will be as heavily regulated, taxed, and restricted as their gun rights. It is the logical extension of their underlying ideology.

  19. The media would be singing a different tune if the protesters were there because he was anti-gay and just killed some gay-rights legislation. Then the protesters could set up camp and bring out the megaphones and harass him all day long.

    Hypocrites.

  20. Ahh turning the water on the protesters very reminiscent of equal rights protest responses

    • I’m not a black man, but if I were, I would not condone the hose analogy used here. I have said many times that the gay advocates’ comparison to the civil rights struggles of the Jim Crow era diminishes the fight that black people faced. To compare a water sprinkler to a high pressure fire hose is no worse than what the leftist gay mafia does.

  22. As Truman said it, if you dont like the heat,get out of the kitchen. I hope these protestors dont stop even if ordinances are passed restricting the exercise of First Amendment rights. The video of protestors being arrested would show the nation that New Jersey is no different than a Third World banana republic or a Soviet satellite nation. Given how small that city`s department is, it would be tough to arrest dozens of protestors. I`m sure in such a situation, Sweeney will make a phone call and New Jersey state troopers will show up to assist.

  23. Spray a hose on a politician and you are probably going to jail for assault. A politician spraying down protestors, and they are hero’s? Sounds like Sweeny is a hot head and should not have his job to begin with.

    • “a bulky ironworker with extensive pedigree of bar fights as a young man”

      Um, there’s your proof. That screams hot head to me….and I firmly believe that once a hot head, always a hot head…they just pick their fights more carefully as they get older.

  24. Seems to me outside the offices of nj.com would be a perfectly acceptable place to stage a protest. After all, freedom of speech and all that.

  25. Of course NJ.com neglects to mention that the family of the woman stabbed to death that led to this protest were present and Sweeney refused to speak with them. He had time to import Sandy Hook parents from Connecticut to support his anti-gun legislation but doesn’t have time for the voters of NJ.

  26. Boy, when the wrong kind of white people protest, the ruling class gets very up set. I’m glad to see a different kind of white person protest for their civil rights.
    If this was a union protest the ruling class would support it. If it was a anti war protest the ruling class would support it.

    The wrong kind of people were protesting at the Bundy Ranch. The ruling class did not support it. If this was a anti abortion protest by an all black group of protesters the liberal white media would not cover it. And there have been such protests by black people.
    How much media coverage would black people or a racially integrated group of gun civil rights protesters get? Very little or zero.

  27. I will and would never protest in front of someone’s residence. This type of press hurts our cause as it hurts the other side. Just because it is legal gives no credence to it being a correct thing to do.

    • It may be uncivilized for the privileged to engage in this paltry behavior, but it was rather common in the years leading up to the Revolution for colonists to hold protests outside the homes of prominent British officials. These protests today are a heck of a lot more civilized and uneventful than those during the Revolutionary period. The colonists tended to come to these protests with torches, tar, and feathers. Ah, the days that are praised often in history books and song for over 200 years. 🙂

  28. Well at least this little burg treats the first amendment consistently with the manner the State treats the second: ten of you get to exercise your rights, and the rest of you can go fly a kite.

  29. Dude. Don’t protest at peoples’ houses. That’s for the petulant children of the left.

    BUT spinklers? That’s refreshing as hell. It’s in the mid-90’s every day. Turning on the sprinklers is like the number one way to get me to hang out in your yard.

  30. I can’t support protesting at peoples houses. It is bad form, even if I support the message. I enjoyed when the article points out that Mr. Sweeney was a big tough guy iron worker that would have like to pound the protesters like nails. The dude that got out of the escalade was a tub of pudding with ILS*.

    I was in NJ this week on business and had a funny reminder that the closer you get to civilization the less civilized people behave. It would be very interesting to find out how the pervasive NYC/NJ tough guy routine would be impacted if people were able to carry guns.
    *ILS = Imagined Lat Syndrome

  31. But when the democrats do it…

    Rights for Me, but not for Thee! Typical democrat mob rule oppression… Only they have Rights, everyone else is to be enslaved and oppressed. We’re only a few baby steps away from railcars full of bitter clingers heading off to gas chambers… SOSDD.

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