TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Joseph F. Vitale which would enhance the penalties for trespassing on private or posted property if the trespasser has a firearm in his or her possession was approved by the Senate today by a vote of 37-0.
“When a trespasser steps over that boundary between public land and private property, homeowners can be justifiably nervous” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex. “When you add a loaded firearm into the equation, you have a powder keg ready to ignite. We need strong deterrents and penalties to ensure that, in hunters’ eyes, the line between public and private property is painted with a thick, black brush.”