Third Wave Of Gun Control Laws Possible In NJ Package

NEW JERSEY — Mandatory safety training for firearm owners. A ban on weapons that are .50 caliber or larger. Creating standards for school shooting drills. And an effort to “hold the gun industry accountable.” These are some of the changes that will take place in New Jersey if a package of proposed state laws passes.

Gov. Phil Murphy recently urged state lawmakers to take action in the coming weeks on a comprehensive gun safety legislative package, which he originally proposed in April.

The proposed laws have seen pushback from gun rights advocates, who say that the bills put the Second Amendment in the crosshairs but “do nothing to severely punish gun criminals.” (Read more below)

If passed by the Legislature and signed into law, the bills would be the third gun safety package pushed through by the governor since he took office in 2018.

According to a statement from the governor’s office, here’s what the bills would do:

• “Require 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.
• “Regulate 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.
• “Hold the Gun Industry Accountable” - In New Jersey, almost 80 percent 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.
• “Ban .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.
• “Close 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.
• “Establish 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 NJ State Police.
• “Promote 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.
• “Mandate Safe Storage of Firearms” - Gun owners would be required to store guns in a lockbox or gun safe.

“Over the past four years, New Jersey has become a national leader on gun safety,” Murphy said during a Dec. 2 news conference to announce the bills.

“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 continued. “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.”

The governor thanked Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin for his “commitment to posting the package during the current legislative session.”

Supporters of the proposed bill package included:

Acting Attorney General Andrew Bruck – “The legislation discussed by the Governor today will further our work to help communities statewide support victims of crime, while reducing the deadly cycle of gun-related violence.”

Assembly Majority Leader Louis Greenwald – “This legislative package would close harmful loopholes, limit high-caliber weapons, ensure the proper handling and storage of firearms, and give law enforcement the tools they need to address gun violence. Each of these commonsense measures represent important steps we can and must take to promote gun safety in our communities.”

Jenifer Berrier Gonzalez, volunteer with the New Jersey chapter of Moms Demand Action – “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. We are thankful to Gov. 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.”

Aqeela Sherrills, director of the Newark Community Street Team – “About six months ago, the Governor convened community public safety activists from across the state and engaged us in a conversation about developing complementary strategies with law enforcement to reduce violence and crime in cities. He committed $10 million, an unprecedented investment. It is the governor's leadership that is making our communities and our state safe.”

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The proposed laws have also seen heavy criticism from gun right advocates, however.

According to the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs (ANJRPC), the proposals target Second Amendment rights, but “do nothing to severely punish gun criminals.”

“It isn’t pretty,” the group wrote in a blog, listing their objections to the proposed laws. They included:

.50 Caliber Ban – “The language appears purposely misleading … Other key provisions: one year for current fifty caliber owners to pay a $50 registration fee; no inheritance by heirs allowed; and civil liability for registered owners if their firearms are misused.”

Firearms Purchaser ID Cards – “Gun owners will have to pay the fees, get fingerprinted and go through the whole application process every 4 years. The system is already overburdened and extremely inefficient. Every four years, everybody has to go get a new FPIC. How will the police administrative bureaucracy handle this (current process can take 6 months to 2 years!)? This bill also includes language which will turn widows into felons if they fail to surrender possession of their deceased spouse's firearms within 30 days and they themselves do not have the NJ credentials needed to possess the firearms.”

Handgun Micro-Stamping – “This is essentially a semi-automatic handgun ban, as the technology is not used by any maker.”

The New Jersey Second Amendment Society – which panned the governor’s latest proposals when he first announced them in April – called the latest bill package “gun control 3.0.”

“We need all hands on deck for this one,” the group’s president said, speaking from the crowd at Murphy’s Dec. 2 news conference.

The Coalition of New Jersey Firearm Owners has also blasted the proposed laws on social media.

Send news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

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