Gov. Murphy Pushes Gun Safety Package, Republicans Say Law-Abiding Residents Shouldn't Have to Give Up Guns - TAPinto.net
PATERSON, NJ — Gov. Phil Murphy is renewing his push for legislators to take action and pass a comprehensive gun safety legislative package that he initially proposed in April 2021 in Newark. If passed by the Senate and Assembly and signed into law, the bill package would be the third wide-ranging gun safety package signed by Murphy since taking office.
Speaking in front of advocates and fellow legislators at an event at Saint Luke Baptist Church in Paterson, Murphy said, “It’s not fair that day after day members of our New Jersey family are being shot and killed. And it’s outrageous that their state government in Trenton isn’t doing everything it can to stem this tide of gun violence.”
The Governor said that in the year since his first proposal of the package, 1,359 people were shot in the state, 250 residents were killed by guns.
“These shootings have happened all across our state,” he said.
According to the “NJGunStat” report run by the New Jersey State Police, as of March, there have been 89 shooting victims this year so far. Murphy told the story of 9-year-old SeQuoya Bacon-Jones who was shot and killed last month in Trenton while playing with her brother outside her apartment complex. Adults nearby the children had started fighting, one pulled out a gun and opened fire, hitting the girl in the chest.
“The bills that I introduced one year ago are basic measures that will keep guns out of the wrong hands, help law enforcement apprehend the perpetrators of gun violence, and hold the gun industry accountable for its deceptive and dangerous practices,”Murphy said. "These bills are the definition of common sense.”
The conference comes on the heels of a violent Easter weekend, with multiple shootings in Pittsburgh, Miami, Baltimore, Las Vegas, Syracuse, Philadelphia. The proposals include firearm safety training, requirements for gun storage in a lock box, raising the minimum age to purchase long guns, establishing ammunition sales record keeping, and promoting micro stamping technology into new handguns, so they can be traced.
Murphy also wants to ban .50 caliber firearms or greater, a weapon he said, could "take down a helicopter.”
“Who can seriously argue that these weapons of war belong on our streets?” Murphy asked.
Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz (D - District 29) says in addition to the restrictions, community outreach is key.
“While we advance these efforts, we know that prevention is our best tool," Ruiz said. "By making investments in human capital from the womb to the workforce, from early childhood education to young adult mental health services, we can take a holistic approach and better support our communities as a whole.”
Several gun safety advocate groups were in attendance and fully support the new proposal.
“We must combine all efforts and build comprehensive gun violence prevention approaches. Across the state. We need both gun safety policies, and a robust community prevention system that heals and breaks the cycle of violence," said Steven Campos, Community Resource Director, Hudson Partnership CMO.
Historically, gun violence increases during warmer months. Murphy is aiming to get the new laws passed before the Legislature breaks for the summer session.
Last year when he first proposed the package, Murphy had the full support of Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D - District 19) and other supportive Democrats. Coughlin confirmed that he planned to support the gun package and would post the bills for a vote in the Assembly this past December before the end of the legislative session on January 10. But voting has stalled since.
During his campaign for Governor four years ago, Murphy sought support from national anti-gun organizations, and he has signed numerous bills tightening firearm standards, including a half-dozen new laws in 2018. New Jersey’s gun laws are among the most restrictive in the nation.
Republicans believe the new set of bills unnecessarily tightens restrictions for gun owners who follow the rules.
“Responsible gun owners are not, and never have been the problem in this or any other state,” Senate Minority Leader Steve Oroho (R - District 24) said at a news conference in December. “You only have to look at Chicago, with the nation’s toughest gun laws and the highest rate of gun-related crime and killings to prove that more and tougher laws are not the answer. The Governor is just playing political games that will not make a dent in crime on New Jersey streets.”
“There are dozens of bills awaiting action in both houses of the Legislature that would do more to fight crime and make New Jersey communities safer for everyone," Sen. Mike Testa (R - District 1) said. "This isn’t about public safety. It’s about his ultimate goal of taking guns away from the very residents who follow our laws."
source: https://www.tapinto.net/sections/news-around-new-jersey/articles/gov-murphy-pushes-gun-safety-package-republicans-say-law-abiding-residents-shouldn-t-have-to-give-up-guns
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