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Ralph Froehlich, New Jersey's Longest-Serving Sheriff, Urges Action On Gun Control

Sheriff On Gun Culture: 'Shame On Us'
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FILE -- In this July 17, 2012, file photo, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio speaks during a press conference in Phoenix. The tough-talking sheriff is the last man standing of the three Phoenix politicians who made Arizona a leader in the crackdown against illegal immigration. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)

The longest-serving sheriff in New Jersey history is taking aim at what he sees as a gun culture that urges people to carry "killing weapons" and on Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff Joe Arpaio's (R) plan to have an armed "posse" patrol schools.

Union County Sheriff Ralph Froehlich (D) said that he is looking for Congress to adopt a "reasonable approach" to gun safety. The sheriff singled out the need to ban high-capacity magazines and assault weapons as part of his push, along with creating a registry to track the ownership history of each gun. Froehlich's comments come after he joined former New Jersey Gov. Jim Florio (D) and a group of New Jersey mayors on Monday morning in Cranford to kick off an effort to enact new gun control laws after the fatal elementary school shooting in Connecticut.

"I am looking for a reasonable approach to gun safety. Shame on us when we emphasize the need to have dangerous assault weapons," Froehlich told The Huffington Post Monday afternoon. "It is a killing weapon for war. Those poor little souls in Connecticut, some would still be alive if it wasn't for a 30-round magazine. With a 30-round magazine you spray, you don't aim. The people trying to escape did not have a chance. It's stupid, it's stupid."

Froehlich said that while he would like to see Congress ban assault weapons and high-capacity gun magazines, he realizes it is an uphill battle in Washington. He noted that with the money from the pro-Second Amendment lobby and the political clout of the National Rifle Association, it will be tough.

Froehlich said his opinion was influenced by an appearance last week by Breitbart Editor-at-Large Ben Shapiro on CNN's "Piers Morgan Show," in which Shapiro advocated for assault weapons.

"The guy was absolutely out of his mind," Froehlich said about Shapiro.

Froehlich also slammed proposals that have been sweeping through state Legislatures around the country to allow teachers to carry guns in order to fight back against mass murderers in schools. He said a series of problems exist with the issue, including the need to decide which type of gun to provide teachers, the need for twice-yearly certification classes and the role of a teacher. He praised the teachers in Connecticut for their actions.

"They are not there to carry a gun; that is not the teacher's function," he said. "It's asinine."

Froehlich, a former Elizabeth police lieutenant first elected sheriff in 1977, said that he does not agree with Arpaio's controversial plan to have members of his "posse" patrol schools in the Phoenix area.

"I don't even want to talk about that guy. He is so far out of the real world," Froehlich said. "He has his philosophies and I have mine, and they are not close together."

Froehlich has helped initiate a push by mayors to lobby Congress on gun control. A group of New Jersey mayors, led by Fanwood Mayor Colleen Mahr (D) and Roselle Mayor Jamel Holley (D), will join other members of the group Mayors Against Illegal Guns on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.

"The legislative priorities that the coalition is pushing are a step in the right direction," Holley told HuffPost. "It can stop the crimes that are occurring."

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Before You Go

People Who Want More Guns In Schools
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) (01 of09)
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"I wish to God she had had an m-4 in her office, locked up so when she heard gunfire, she pulls it out ... and takes him out and takes his head off before he can kill those precious kids," Gohmert said of slain principal Dawn Hochsprung on Fox News Sunday. He argued that shooters often choose schools because they know people will be unarmed. (credit:WikiMedia:)
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R)(02 of09)
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"If people were armed, not just a police officer, but other school officials that were trained and chose to have a weapon, certainly there would be an opportunity to stop an individual trying to get into the school," he told WTOP's "Ask the Governor" show Tuesday, warning that Washington may respond to such a policy with a "knee-jerk reaction." (credit:WikiMedia:)
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam (R) & State Sen. Frank Niceley (R)(03 of09)
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Gov. Haslam says he will consider a Tennessee plan to secretly arm and train some teachers, TPM reports. The legislation will be introduced by State Sen. Frank Niceley (R) next month. "Say some madman comes in. The first person he would probably try to take out was the resource officer. But if he doesn’t know which teacher has training, then he wouldn’t know which one had [a gun]," Niceley told TPM. "These guys are obviously cowards anyway and if someone starts shooting back, they’re going to take cover, maybe go ahead and commit suicide like most of them have." (credit:AP)
Oklahoma State Rep. Mark McCullough (R) & State Sen. Ralph Shortey (R) (04 of09)
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State Rep. Mark McCullough (R) told the Tulsa World he plans to file legislation that would bring guns into schools, calling their absence "irresponsible." “It is incredibly irresponsible to leave our schools undefended – to allow mad men to kill dozens of innocents when we have a very simple solution available to us to prevent it," he said. "I’ve been considering this proposal for a long time. In light of the savagery on display in Connecticut, I believe it’s an idea whose time has come."Sen. Ralph Shortey (R) told the Tulsa World that teachers should carry concealed weapons at school events. "Allowing teachers and administrators with concealed-carry permits the ability to have weapons at school events would provide both a measure of security for students and a deterrent against attackers," he said. (credit:WikiMedia:)
Florida State Rep. Dennis Baxley (R)(05 of09)
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Baxley, who once sponsored Florida's controversial Stand Your Ground law, told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune that keeping guns out of schools makes them a target for attacks.“We need to be more realistic at looking at this policy," he said. "In our zealousness to protect people from harm we’ve created all these gun-free zones and what we’ve inadvertently done is we’ve made them a target. A helpless target is exactly what a deranged person is looking for where they cannot be stopped.” (credit:AP)
Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R)(06 of09)
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At a Tea Party event Monday night, Perry praised a Texas school system that allows some staff to carry concealed weapons to work and encouraged local school districts to make their own policies. (credit:WikiMedia:)
Minnesota State Rep. Tony Cornish (R) (07 of09)
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Cornish plans to introduce legislation that would allow teachers to arm themselves, according to the AP. (credit:Alamy)
Oregon State Rep. Dennis Richardson (R)(08 of09)
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In an email obtained by Gawker and excerpted below, Richardson tells three superintendents that he could have saved lives had he been armed and in Sandy Hook on Friday:
If I had been a teacher or the principal at the Sandy Hook Elementary School and if the school district did not preclude me from having access to a firearm, either by concealed carry or locked in my desk, most of the murdered children would still be alive, and the gunman would still be dead, and not by suicide....[O]ur children's safety depends on having a number of well-trained school employees on every campus who are prepared to defend our children and save their lives?
 (credit:dennisrichardson.org)
Former Education Secretary Bill Bennett(09 of09)
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"And I'm not so sure -- and I'm sure I'll get mail for this -- I'm not so sure I wouldn't want one person in a school armed, ready for this kind of thing," Bennett, who served as education secretary under Ronald Reagan, told Meet the Press Sunday. "The principal lunged at this guy. The school psychologist lunged at the guy. It has to be someone who's trained, responsible. But, my god, if you can prevent this kind of thing, I think you ought to." (credit:Getty Images)
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