Governor Christie of New Jersey will release Brian Aitken, who was convicted of possessing two handguns illegally despite purchasing them legally in Colorado, in time for Christmas:

Christie signed a letter ordering Brian Aitken, a New Jersey man sentenced to seven years in jail for having weapons he legally purchased in Colorado, to be released from Mid-State Correctional Facility as soon as possible.

Aitken, 27, was sentenced in August to seven years after a January 2009 arrest at his parent's home in Mount Laurel, Burlington County. Aitken's mother called the police on him after he was distraught over a custody issue and police found handguns, hollow point bullets, and high capacity magazines in a box in the trunk of his car.

Aitken claimed he was protected under a state exemption because he was moving from Mount Laurel to Hoboken at the time. A Burlington County judge refused to allow the jury to see the exemptions, claiming Aitken's defense team did not present enough evidence during the trial to show he was moving.

Seven years for possessing two handguns is extreme even without the exemption. The idea that Aitken was railroaded by the judge is also despicable. Christie did right by Aitken and his family to rectify this wrong so that he could spend the holidays with his loved ones.