STATEMENT: Giffords Applauds New Jersey Assembly for Passing Package of Gun Safety Bills
March 26, 2018 — Today, Giffords, the gun safety organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Captain Mark Kelly, applauded the New Jersey lawmakers for taking action on their gun violence prevention package. The New Jersey Assembly passed bills that would help keep New Jersey among the states with the strongest gun laws to better protect New Jersey families and communities.
“Just this weekend, hundreds of thousands of students and voters gathered across the country to call for action from lawmakers,” said Nico Bocour, State Legislative Director of Giffords. “Today, New Jersey leaders again led the nation on gun safety by passing a package of bills voted to prevent gun violence. We applaud Assembly Majority Leader Louis Greenwald, Assemblyman John McKeon, and Garden State lawmakers for answering the calls of students and New Jerseyans who want to live in safer communities. This package includes legislation that would help keep guns out of the hands of a person who poses an extreme risk of danger, as well as bill that will closing the long gun loophole and limit magazine capacity.”
“This afternoon we took historic steps towards ending gun violence in New Jersey. Legislation that I crafted after meeting the families of Sandy Hook in 2013 has passed the full Assembly, and I could not be prouder,” said Majority Leader Greenwald. “We’ve seen millions across the nation and thousands throughout New Jersey rally for gun safety over the past week, and I truly believe we are going to save lives with today’s legislation.”
“We’ve seen too many ‘what ifs’ when it comes to these mass shootings, often centered around the question of why didn’t somebody do something to take guns away from someone who poses a danger. This bill makes it easier to accomplish that goal and, ultimately, protect our communities and our children,” said Assemblyman John McKeon. “The status quo doesn’t work. We need new approaches that give authorities a real chance to keep guns away from individuals who pose a threat. It’s common sense. This bill sets forth a clear and equitable process to protecting our communities and ensure due process. We take away the risk while opening the door to get the disturbed person the help they need. It’s a smart and fair.”
The full list of bills in the package passed by the Assembly today are:
- Establishing an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO): A 1217 would establish a judicial process to acquire an order of protection so that an individual in crisis would be temporarily prohibited from firearm possession. New Jersey joins other states that have introduced ERPO bills backed by Giffords. Last year, Oregon’s Governor Kate Brown signed an ERPO bill into law after members of the Giffords Oregon Coalition testified on behalf of the bill and urged Oregon leaders to pass it.
- Closing Background Check Loopholes: A 2757 would require private sales of firearms to be processed through a dealer. There is no gap more glaring in our gun laws than the federal background checks law, which allows felons, domestic abusers, and the dangerously mentally ill to purchase firearms at gun shows and online without undergoing a background check. In states that require background checks for all handgun sales 47% fewer women are shot to death by their intimate partners, there are 47% fewer firearm suicides, and 53% fewer law enforcement officers are shot to death by handguns.
- A 2761: This bill would reduce magazine capacity to 10 rounds.
- A 2758: This bill would codify the requirements to meet the justifiable need standard for CCW applications.
- A 2759: This bill would prohibit possession of ammunition capable of penetrating body armor.
- A 1181: This bill would create a non-standard risk-based firearm removal law based on a risk a person poses due to mental illness.
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Giffords is a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives from gun violence. Led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, Navy combat veteran and retired NASA astronaut Captain Mark Kelly, Giffords inspires the courage of people from all walks of life to make America safer.