STATEMENT TO

[First Reprint]

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR

ASSEMBLY, Nos. 1762, 1834 and 949

with Senate Floor Amendments

(Proposed By Senator GIRGENTI)

ADOPTED: OCTOBER 24, 1996

      This Senate amendment would permit certain law enforcement officers who retire from law enforcement duties because of a job related disability to apply for permission to carry a handgun.

      The amendment specifies that the disability responsible for the officer's retirement may be an ordinary disability, an accidental disability, or a special disability, as those disabilities are statutorily defined.

      The amendment, however, does impose two additional qualifications for officers who retired on disability: (1) the officer must have been a regularly employed, full-time law enforcement officer for a minimum of five years prior to his disability retirement and (2) the disability responsible for the officer's retirement must not be of such a nature that it would disqualify the officer from carrying a firearm under the provisions of N.J.S.2C:58-3.

      This amendment makes the Assembly Committee Substitute for Assembly Bill No. 1762 (1R) identical to Senate Bill No. 916 (3R).