Murphy Visits Metuchen, Pushes For Tighter Gun Safety Laws

METUCHEN, NJ —Gov. Phil Murphy visited Metuchen on Thursday to announce his administration’s intention to propose additional gun safety reform. His visit comes after a 15-year-old opened fire and killed four people at a Michigan high school this week.

Murphy was joined by Acting Attorney General Andrew Bruck, State Police Superintendent Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, Mayor Jonathan M Busch, gun safety advocates, and 35 students from Metuchen High School.

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“Over the past four years, New Jersey has become a national leader on gun safety. We must continue to build on that progress and make our state safer for the over nine million people who call New Jersey home,” Murphy said.

“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.”

New Jersey currently has some of the strongest gun laws in the nation. But Murphy said the state had more work to do.

The governor supports gun safety proposals that would ban .50 caliber firearms and require gun safety classes for those who apply for a firearm permit. Gun owners who move to New Jersey from other states will be required to register their firearms within 30 days of moving. The proposal will mandate manufacturers to keep detailed electronic records of ammunition sales and report sales to State Police.

Murphy also supported the microstamping technology which links firearm cartridge casings found at the scene of a crime to a specific firearm.

“New Jersey’s gun violence crisis requires meaningful legislative action that both prioritizes the safety of New Jersey communities and reaffirms our state’s status as a leader in the gun safety movement,” said Jenifer Berrier Gonzalez, a volunteer with the New Jersey chapter of Moms Demand Action.

“We are thankful to Governor Murphy for his commitment to signing this landmark gun safety package, and we urge lawmakers to work together to achieve this important milestone before this legislative session ends.”

The venue chosen for the event has a “significant meaning” for the residents of Metuchen, Busch said.

“This exact location has especially significant meaning to the people of our community because it was on this plaza in front of Borough Hall on March 24, 2018, in the wake of the Parkland, Florida shootings, that students from Metuchen High School led hundreds of people in a rally against gun violence," Busch said. "Just a few weeks later, many of those Metuchen High School students led their classmates in a walkout to this very space. These students spoke loudly and demanded change.”

The new round of gun control laws is third in a packet of measures pushed by Murphy since he took office in 2018.

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