TRENTON, NJ – New Jersey Governor Murphy has been touting his latest gun control agenda as “gun safety legislation”, but on Monday, a slip of the tongue by the governor tipped his hand. The governor’s new gun safety legislation is indeed a form of gun control, so much so, that he nearly called it that at the meeting.
Gun safety is a new way for Democrats to enforce gun control
“In terms of the so-called gun cont…gun safety package 3.0, I’ve got no news, but we’re committed to that,” the governor said. “We think it makes New Jersey a safer state and we’ll do anything we can to make New Jersey a safer state.”
As part of his ongoing commitment to meaningfully address the nation’s gun violence crisis, Governor Phil Murphy today urged legislators to take action in the coming weeks and pass a comprehensive gun safety legislative package that was initially proposed by the Governor in April. If passed by the Legislature and signed into law, the bill package discussed today would be the third wide-ranging gun safety package signed by the Governor since taking office. The Governor also thanked Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin for his commitment to posting the package during the current legislative session. Among the measures are reforms that would ensure firearms are handled safely, provide additional tools to law enforcement, and regulate school shooting drills.
The Governor was joined for the announcement by Speaker Coughlin, Senator Pat Diegnan, Assemblywoman Joanne Downey, Acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck, and gun safety advocates.
“Over the past four years, New Jersey has become a national leader on gun safety,” said Governor Murphy. “We must continue to build on that progress and make our state safer for the over nine million people who call New Jersey home. Today, I am proud to further commit to this goal, and I hope to work with my Legislative partners to take this step by the end of this legislative session. I thank Speaker Coughlin, Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald, and other legislative partners for their continued commitment to gun safety.”
You can see more about Murphy’s proposed gun control agenda below the video.
Here’s what Phil Murphy’s new gun control laws will look like if passed
Ensuring Firearms are Handled Safely
- Requiring Firearm Safety Training: S-2169/A-5030 (Weinberg/Reynolds-Jackson) would modernize firearm ID cards, as well as require completion of a firearm safety course to receive a permit to purchase a gun or receive a firearm ID card.
- Mandating Safe Storage of Firearms: Gun owners would be required to store guns in a lockbox or gun safe.
Making New Jersey Safer
- Banning .50 Caliber Firearms: S-103/A-1280 (Gill/Greenwald) would revise the definition of “destructive device” under New Jersey law so that it includes weapons of .50 caliber or greater.
- Closing Loophole for Importing Out-of-State Firearms: A-3686/S-372 (Vainieri Huttle/Cryan) would require firearm owners who move to New Jersey to obtain a firearm purchaser identification card (FPIC) and register their firearms within 30 days of residing in this State.
Giving Law Enforcement the Tools to Address Gun Violence
- Establishing Electronic Ammunition Sales Recordkeeping: A-1292/S-1481 (Greenwald/Weinberg) would require manufacturers or dealers of handgun ammunition to keep a detailed electronic record of ammunition sales, and report ammunition sales to the State Police.
- Promoting Microstamping Technology: S-3826/A-5787 (Weinberg/Downey) would require within a year that firearm manufacturers incorporate microstamping technology into new handguns sold in New Jersey, providing law enforcement with a tool to quickly link firearm cartridge casings found at the scene of a crime to a specific firearm, without having to recover the firearm itself.
Additional Actions
- Regulating School Shooting Drills: New Jersey schools currently are required to conduct active shooter exercises but guidelines are not specific about how those drills should be conducted. The Governor proposes authorizing the Department of Education to establish trauma-informed and age-appropriate standards for lockdown drills.
- Holding the Gun Industry Accountable: In New Jersey, almost 80% of guns used in crimes are originally purchased outside of the state. However, the gun industry has failed to take any steps to stem the flow of guns to the illegal market through gun shows, flea markets, straw purchasers, and theft. The Governor proposes amending the state’s public nuisance laws to prohibit the gun industry from endangering the safety or health of the public through its sale, manufacturing, importing, or marketing of guns.