Jersey Mayhem: State Fights To Disarm Gun Collector

In a case testing the limits of the second amendment, state authorities in New Jersey are trying to revoke the firearms license held by Rockaway Township resident Steven Hopler. Hopler, 47, was found to be keeping some 16 guns strewn around his house on bookshelves, under seat cushions and in an oven mitt. Many of them were loaded, which prosecutors says presented a danger to public safety. ‘’Most fair-minded persons viewing the photographs of how the weapons were stored might even shudder,” said judge Thomas V. Manahan, who will decide the case on Thursday, “thinking of the propensity for danger.’’ Hopler, who happens to be blind, shot himself in the leg two years ago while cleaning one of his guns. As reported by the Asbury Park Press, his attorney Gregg Trautmann argued that, “his client keeps multiple guns in handy locations because he wouldn’t be able to run from room to room to find one if an intruder came in or his life was threatened.” Seems like that might actually help the prosecution’s case. But we’ll see.