Chris Christie Roundup: Guns, Pot Brownies, and Gay Conversion Therapy
Friday evening was big for Chris Christie. (More on the significance of Friday below.) Four bills, four vetoes, and some brazen political calculation.
Guns
Christie vetoed three gun control measures, including one he proposed earlier this year. The rejected bills:
- A ban on .50 caliber rifles, including this guy right here, which shoots bullets more than a mile. Christie had proposed restricting these very guns in April.
- A background check system that sought to keep guns away from those with criminal records and mental illnesses.
- A requirement that state officials report missing guns to a federal database.
Pot
The headlines said Christie “conditionally vetoed” a bill easing regulations on medical marijuana for kids. And one of those vetoes was a big one: A pediatrician and a psychiatrist must still sign off on a child’s use of medical marijuana. But Christie also approved a couple big portions of the law.
- Kids can now take edible medical marijuana. So yes, pot brownies.
- Dispensaries (there is only one in Jersey right now) can now grow more than three strains of pot. This will allow growers to sell more potent strains–like the one this dad was looking for.
Gay Therapy
Today Christie signed a bill banning gay conversion therapy.
So, why was Friday significant? Christie’s vetoes–over the gun bills in particular–will not go over well with a large portion of the Jersey electorate, so dropping the news at the slowest possible time for media coverage was a conscious decision. (Despite his popularity, he still has to win re-election this year…) Down the road, of course, come Iowa caucus time, Christie may not be so shy about touting those same vetoes.
