Chris Christie Pardons Shaneen Allen
BY Herschel Smith9 years, 7 months ago
Gov. Christie on Thursday pardoned a Philadelphia mother who had faced up to five years in prison for bringing a gun into the state that was legally registered in Pennsylvania but not in New Jersey.
Shaneen Allen admitted during a routine traffic stop on the Atlantic City Expressway that she had the firearm in her purse.
Allen, 27, a phlebotomist, was indicted following her October 2013 arrest for illegally bringing a concealed weapon into the state, and in September last year agreed to enter a pretrial intervention program. The program would have required her to give up her .380 caliber Bersa Thunder and complete 25 hours of community service to avoid jail time.
Allen, who said she worked odd hours collecting blood samples from medical patients, contended that she legally purchased the gun after being robbed and beaten twice in her South Philadelphia neighborhood.
The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office originally denied the woman an opportunity to enter the diversionary program, indicating it wanted to use the case as a deterrent for people bringing guns that aren’t registered in New Jersey into the state.
New Jersey’s gun laws – which are considered among the strictest by national standards – require that even weapons duly registered in the state be transported unloaded and locked in the vehicle’s trunk.
The pardon by Christie was likely to burnish his conservative credentials as he weighs a presidential run.
The governor’s action quickly drew praise from the National Rifle Association.
“This ends a vulgar chapter in an endless series of shameful episodes where political opportunists seek nothing but their own advantage,” Wayne LaPierre, the CEO of the gun-rights lobby, said in a Facebook post. “I compliment Gov. Christie for doing the right thing.”
Ridiculous. Christie could have pardoned her the first day this was made public by the media. Instead he waited while Ms. Allen wondered if the exercise of her God-given duty of self defense would bring ruination to her life. Christie is a putz.
Moreover, none of this changes the fact stated in the article, which is that “New Jersey’s gun laws [are] … considered among the strictest by national standards.” Chris Christie has argued that the lack of a GOP legislature is the culprit for the onerous gun laws in New Jersey. Like Christie couldn’t have shut down the ports or the schools until the legislature brought him pro-gun legislation if he wanted to. This would have happened overnight.
As for “burnishing his creds,” this is what happens with idiots write articles. Chris Christie will never be president. As for Wayne LaPierre, he’s a putz for praising Christie.
On April 3, 2015 at 9:47 am, Ed Hamilton said:
I’m sure there are others that should be pardoned as well, they aren’t getting the publicity so he does nothing about them.
On April 4, 2015 at 9:01 pm, UNCLEELMO said:
“Christie is a putz.”
“As for Wayne LaPierre, he’s a putz for praising Christie.”
You da mensch, Herschel.
On April 9, 2015 at 10:51 am, Angry Veteran said:
Christy should have, pardon the exspression, “weighed in” on this from day one, and bitch slapped the Prosecutor for pursuing a case against a woman who so obviously had no criminal intent. Any time an inocent persons life is ruined by a public official for the sake of making an example, or worse yet, advancing a career, that public official should find themselves unemployed.