Atlantic City casinos ban guns as legal battle over new carrying law continues

Guns will be banned in New Jersey casinos despite a temporary restraining order blocking the enforcement of a portion of a new state law that limits firearms in public places, Mark Giannantonio, the president of the Casino Association of New Jersey, said on Monday.

“The safety and well-being of our guests and employees is a top priority for the Atlantic City casino industry,” Giannantonio said.  “All of the Atlantic City casinos are exercising their rights, as private property owners, to prohibit the carrying of firearms on their premises.”

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Renée Marie Bumb ordered the restraints last month after a gun rights group challenged the constitutionality of the new law signed by Gov. Phil Murphy in December.

Bumb’s ruling froze a section of the law that limits guns in “sensitive places, including schools and restaurants.

Last week, another U.S. District Judge, Biden appointee Zahid Quraishi, also issued a temporary restraining order blocking a section of the law that allows the state to sue the gun industry.