Office of the Governor | Governor Murphy Renews Call for Legislature to Pass Comprehensive Gun Safety Bill Package First Unveiled in April 2021

PATERSON – Governor Phil Murphy at present visited Saint Luke Baptist Church in Paterson to induce legislators to take motion and move a complete gun security legislative package deal that was initially proposed by the Governor in April 2021. In December 2021, the Governor was joined by Meeting Speaker Craig Coughlin in Metuchen to induce the passage of nearly all of these gun security payments. If handed by the Senate and Meeting and signed into regulation, the invoice package deal mentioned at present could be the third wide-ranging gun security package deal signed by the Governor since taking workplace.

The Governor was joined for the announcement by Congressman Invoice Pascrell, Senator Nellie Pou, Senator Joe Cryan, Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly, Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh, gun security advocates, and religion leaders.

“The payments that I launched one yr in the past are primary measures that can hold weapons out of the fallacious arms, assist regulation enforcement apprehend the perpetrators of gun violence, and maintain the gun trade accountable for its misleading and harmful practices,” stated Governor Murphy. “I hope to work with my Legislative companions to proceed making New Jersey a nationwide chief in gun security and forestall the meaningless violence and lack of life that outcomes from the gun violence epidemic.”

In partnership with the Legislature, Governor Murphy has already taken important steps to fight the epidemic of gun violence. Amongst different steps, New Jersey has established a “pink flag” regulation for gun violence protecting orders; criminalized firearms trafficking; strengthened background checks; lowered the utmost capability of ammunition magazines; banned “ghost weapons;” established the Rutgers Gun Violence Analysis Heart to determine evidenced-based options to the gun violence disaster; and established a partnership with a coalition of states (New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut) to share crime gun knowledge between regulation enforcement companies.  

“Tragically, America skilled three mass shootings over the Easter weekend. And we’re all nonetheless reeling from the horrific assault within the Brooklyn subway. The brand new gun security laws championed by Governor Murphy will struggle gun violence on the supply and make our communities safer,” stated U.S. Congressman Invoice Pascrell, Jr. “I joined our Governor in Paterson at present as a result of cities in North Jersey need complete gun security reform. Our neighbors are bored with dwelling in concern. They’re bored with ideas and prayers. They need motion. On the federal degree I’ve introduced residence $14,500,000 for Paterson regulation enforcement prior to now ten years alone. I’m additionally main the Crime Gun Tracing Modernization Act to assist regulation enforcement higher hint weapons utilized in crimes. As co-Chair of the Congressional Regulation Enforcement Caucus, I’m main the struggle in Congress to guard our communities and we’re lucky to have a accomplice like Governor Murphy right here in New Jersey. Let’s get these weapons off our streets.”  

“Gun violence has been crippling a lot of our communities for generations. I’m proud New Jersey has taken steps to handle it by enacting sturdy, widespread sense measures and we hope the federal authorities takes motion and follows New Jersey’s lead. We battle on a regular basis with the movement of out of state weapons and the second hand market. By permitting the AG to take motion and maintain gun producers accountable it’s my hope that we are able to encourage them to do one thing in regards to the unlawful market as soon as and for all,” stated Senate Majority Chief Teresa Ruiz. “Whereas we advance these efforts, we all know that prevention is our greatest device. By making investments in human capital from the womb to the workforce, from early childhood schooling to younger grownup psychological well being companies, we are able to take a holistic strategy and higher help our communities as an entire.”

“Lengthy earlier than the Covid-19 pandemic grew to become a scourge in our state and throughout the nation, and within the lives of these we all know and love, the disaster of gun violence was a really completely different form of public well being menace that visited loss of life, despair and destruction on our communities, in our streets, and inside our houses,” stated Senator Nellie Pou. “We should do extra, and we should do higher. The extra holistic strategy being supplied by the governor and lots of of my fellow leaders represents a brand new chapter, a brand new probability and a long-needed recommitment of sources and coverage modifications to stem gun violence and cease this disaster in its tracks.” 

“With the surge in gun violence there are steps we must always take to maintain our communities secure and defend residents from mindless gun crimes,” stated Senator Cryan, a former law-enforcement official who headed the Union County Sherriff’s Workplace. “There are additionally actions we are able to take that can assist stop the tragedies of unintended shootings and gun suicides. The secured storage of firearms is among the simplest methods of stopping gun deaths, requiring those that transfer to New Jersey to abide by our gun legal guidelines is a matter of widespread sense, and rising the age to 21 to buy shotguns and rifles will make life be safer for younger individuals.”

“Current occasions have proven us how vital it’s to proceed to undertake complete, common sense gun security legal guidelines that can hold our communities secure,” stated Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly. “In cities like Paterson, far too many individuals have felt the influence of gun violence. We should do all the things potential to guard our residents and guarantee nobody has to say goodbye to a beloved one due to mindless violence.” 

“Beneath the management of Governor Murphy, and in partnership with the Legislature, New Jersey is nationally acknowledged as a mannequin for stopping gun violence via common sense legal guidelines that defend our communities, hold our residents secure, and save lives,” stated Performing Lawyer Normal Matthew J. Platkin . “At this time we help Governor Murphy in calling for swift motion on laws that can additional our efforts to interrupt the cycle of gun violence, help victims of gun crimes, and maintain perpetrators accountable.” 

“These payments usually are not solely serving to to guard our residents however they help regulation enforcement in battling gun violence by offering sources which permit us to aggressively examine crimes shortly and extra effectively.” stated Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. “The security of our residents is our prime precedence. We stay commited to eradicating harmful criminals from our streets who select to terrorize our communities with mindless violence.”

“We should mix all efforts and construct complete gun violence prevention approaches throughout the state,” stated Steven Campos, Neighborhood Useful resource Director, Hudson Partnership CMO. “We’d like each gun security insurance policies, and a sturdy neighborhood prevention system that heals and breaks the cycle of violence.”   

“The proliferation of and entry to weapons in city communities is a significant contributor to the violence that we witness virtually each day and seen most over this previous week in New York, Pittsburgh and South Carolina,” stated Rev. Kenneth Clayton of Saint Luke’s Baptist Church. “We applaud the NJ State Legislators and Governor Murphy for creating legal guidelines to make entry to weapons in our state a extra elongated course of in try to stop such violence sooner or later.” 

“This invoice package deal contains very important, widespread sense reforms that would supply complete options to the gun violence that devastates New Jersey communities,” stated Amy Faucher, a volunteer with the New Jersey chapter of Mothers Demand Motion. “Our state continues to guide nationally within the gun violence prevention motion, and furthering that standing means passing these vital payments. We thank Governor Murphy for his help within the struggle to finish gun violence in New Jersey, and we stay up for working with lawmakers to assist advance this package deal and save lives.”

  Governor Murphy at present recommitted to the next reforms:

Making certain Firearms are Dealt with Safely

• Requiring Firearm Security Coaching:  A-993 (Reynolds-Jackson) would require completion of a firearm security course to obtain a allow to buy a gun or obtain a firearm ID card. 
• Mandating Secure Storage of Firearms: Gun house owners could be required to retailer weapons in a lockbox or gun secure. (For reference: A-2215 (Greenwald), the “New Jersey Secure Storage of Firearms Act”)

Making New Jersey Safer

• Banning .50 Caliber Firearms: S-1416 (Gill) would revise the definition of “harmful gadget” below New Jersey regulation in order that it contains weapons of .50 caliber or larger. 
• Closing Loophole for Importing Out-of-State Firearms:  A-1179/S-1204 (Jasey/Cryan) would require firearm house owners who transfer to New Jersey to acquire a firearm purchaser identification card (FPIC) and register their firearms inside 60 days of residing on this State. 
• Elevating Minimal Age to Buy Lengthy Weapons to 21:  A-509/S-504 (Freiman/Cryan) would increase from 18 to 21 the age at which an individual is eligible to obtain a firearms purchaser identification card used to buy shotguns and rifles.  

Giving Regulation Enforcement the Instruments to Deal with Gun Violence

• Establishing Digital Ammunition Gross sales Recordkeeping: A-1302 (Greenwald) would require producers or sellers of handgun ammunition to maintain an in depth digital report of ammunition gross sales, and report ammunition gross sales to the State Police. 
• Selling Microstamping Know-how: S-1462/A-2216 (Codey/Greenwald) would require inside a yr that firearm producers incorporate microstamping expertise into new handguns offered in New Jersey, offering regulation enforcement with a device to shortly hyperlink firearm cartridge casings discovered on the scene of against the law to a particular firearm, with out having to get well the firearm itself.   

Extra Motion  

Holding the Gun Business Accountable:  In New Jersey, virtually 80% of weapons utilized in crimes are initially bought exterior of the state.  Nevertheless, the gun trade has did not take any steps to stem the movement of weapons to the unlawful market via gun reveals, flea markets, straw purchasers, and theft.  The Governor proposes amending the state’s public nuisance legal guidelines to ban the gun trade from endangering the security or well being of the general public via its sale, manufacturing, importing, or advertising and marketing of weapons.  (For reference: A-1765/S-1893 (McKeon/Ruiz).