Blind NJ gun owner fights to keep weapons

MORRISTOWN, N.J. - May 1, 2012 (WPVI) -- Testimony has ended and a judge is expected to soon make a ruling in a nearly two-year legal battle over whether a blind man in New Jersey can keep his gun collection.

Morris County prosecutors say Steven Hopler is unfit to safely maintain his handguns because he abuses alcohol and was taking an antidepressant when he accidentally shot himself while cleaning a pistol in 2008.

The Daily Record of Parsippany reports the 49-year-old, who is blind because of complications from diabetes, denies abusing alcohol and says he has completed a firearms safety course.

A court in 1994 allowed Hopler to purchase firearms and shoot them under strict conditions.

The judge expects to issue a written ruling by the end of the week.

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Information from: Daily Record, http://www.dailyrecord.com

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