State police could force lawmakers to return to Trenton if any skip a planned vote on overriding Gov. Chris Christie's veto of a bill about prospective gun-buyers' mental health records, Senate President Steve Sweeney said Monday.
Sweeney announced plans Monday to hold a second override vote Oct. 22 on a measure that mandates law enforcement agencies be notified when a potential gun-buyer seeks to expunge mental health records.
The Senate will also take the procedural step of placing the Senate "under the call of the house," which means no senator would be able to abstain or skip the vote, Sweeney said at a news conference in Princeton.
"Everyone is going to vote on this," he said. "No one is going to hide."
He added: "Would you want to be one of the senators that had the state police come and get you? I don't think so."
The Democrat-controlled Legislature has tried 52 times to override Christie, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, but has never succeeded because Republicans have not bucked the governor.
Sweeney, flanked by other Democratic lawmakers, two Democratic Assembly candidates and about two dozen supporters, called the measure "common sense" reform.
Sweeney is only interested in grabbing headlines, said Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr., who says he is working on a "solution" that combines the governor's suggestions with those in the bill.
"This isn't just about guns, this is about public safety," Kean said.
The issue stretches back to a bill that passed the Legislature unanimously earlier this year.
It's one that the court system recommended to lawmakers, Sweeney and others say, but Christie issued a conditional veto arguing the bill would confuse a cumbersome area of law. Instead, he called for implementing a plan that includes possible involuntary commitment of those who could be considered dangerous if their illness goes untreated.
Democrats say the veto message did not address the issue of expunging mental health records of potential gun-buyers.
An override attempt in September came close to succeeding but was postponed when it became clear Sweeney did not have the votes.
The bill was co-sponsored by Republican state Sen. Christopher "Kip" Bateman," who abstained during the test vote last month. Bateman and state Sen. Joseph Kyrillos, who also abstained, did no reply to messages seeking comment. Bateman's district includes Princeton.
Sweeney would need their votes to reach the two-thirds necessary to overcome Christie's veto.
Senate rules indicate a majority of senators may send the sergeant-at-arms or any other authorized person with a warrant for absent senators if at least 21 senators are not present at the opening roll call of meeting.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
A spokesman for Christie did not comment on the override attempt but questioned why Democrats have not brought up Christie's overhaul suggestions.
"The Senate President and Democrats in the Legislature need to answer for why they have neglected to take them up since 2013," said Christie spokesman Kevin Roberts.
