Gov. Murphy Talks Gun Safety In Westfield (Video)

WESTFIELD, NJ – Adorned in a Westfield Police jacket and flanked by Westfield Mayor Shelley Brindle, Governor Phil Murphy spoke about gun safety following the arrest of a man armed with a .45-caliber handgun loaded with hollow point bullets and 130 rounds of ammunition outside of Westfield’s Tamaques Elementary School.

Murphy urged the Senate President to act on a package of gun safety bills aimed at strengthening New Jersey’s gun laws and preventing gun violence.

“Our partners in the Assembly stand ready to pass all of these bills, with a commitment to look to even more reforms to end the scourge of gun violence in our communities,” said Murphy. “I urge the Senate President to advance the Legislature’s gun safety package in its entirety. The time for a bold and comprehensive strategy is now, and I urge our legislative leaders to work together to significantly reduce gun violence in our communities.”

In October 2018, Murphy was joined by Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg and Assembly Majority Leader Louis Greenwald to call for major gun safety reforms and put forward a four-part plan to address critical areas in relation to gun safety. Those areas include closing loopholes to make it easier to go after gun traffickers, regulating and tracking the sale of ammunition, promoting the development and commercialization of “smart gun” technology, and investing in community-based non-violence and gun violence prevention programs. A comprehensive package of thirteen bills to address these issues was introduced in the Legislature; however, the Senate is working to advance only eight of these bills that will address trafficking, “smart guns,” and violence intervention.

“We cannot sit back and wait for tragedy to occur before imposing common sense safeguards on the sale of lethal ammunition,” said Bill Castner, Senior Advisor to the Governor on Gun Safety. “I applaud Speaker Coughlin and Majority Leaders Weinberg and Greenwald for supporting this reform and the 2.0 gun violence prevention package in its entirety — we are hopeful the Senate President will do the same.”

Read More:

• Westfield Chief: I Don't Work For The Local News Media
• Immediate Security Increase At All Westfield Schools: Officials
• Gunman Brought 130 Rounds Of Ammo To Westfield School: Prosecutor
• Westfield Cop Provides Security, Ice Cream After Gunman Arrest
• Westfield School Doors Should Be Locked At All Times: Volunteer
• New Charge For Gunman Arrested At Westfield Elementary School
• Westfield Chief 'Extremely Proud' After Gunman Arrest

Murphy’s proposed Fiscal Year 2020 budget calls for an increase to fees for gun licenses and handgun permits. New Jersey’s gun licensing fees have not been raised since 1966 and the Legislature’s newly proposed budget does not include any increase. During his address in Westfield, Murphy touched upon the fee increase, noting he can't address the matter constitutionally.

For her part, Brindle moved beyond the scope of the gun laws, noting other issues at play.

"I’m proud to live in New Jersey, a state whose Governor is leading the way towards a solution for this growing epidemic, that includes focusing not just on sensible gun laws, but also on the mental health of those who have them — especially for teen suicide prevention,” said Brindle.

The entire press conference is below, courtesy of NJTV's YouTube Channel.

Thanks for reading! Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site here. Have a news tip you'd like to share? Or maybe you have a press release you would like to submit or a correction you'd like to request? Send an email to russ.crespolini@patch.com

Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter by clicking here. You can also have them delivered to your phone screen by downloading our Apple iOS app here, or by visiting the Google Play store for the Android app here.