New Jersey Moms Demand Action, Everytown Applaud Lieutenant Governor Oliver for Signing Gun Violence Prevention Bills

Signing Comes Days After Mass Shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio

Every Day, 100 Americans are Shot and Killed, With a Concentration of Gun Homicides Happening in Cities

TRENTON, N.J. – The New Jersey chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today applauded Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver for signing legislation to help prevent gun violence by supporting community intervention programs. The following bills have been signed, after passing with robust bipartisan support in June:

• A4802/S3312, which would require hospitals designated as Level One or Level Two trauma centers in municipalities with disproportionately high rates of firearm violence or homicide that have available resources to provide hospital-based or hospital-linked violence intervention programs.
• A4805/S3323, which would require victim counseling services to partner with trauma centers to refer certain victims to violence intervention programs.
• A4806/S3301, which would establish the Hospital-based Violence Intervention Program Initiative in the Department of Health.

“Once again, our state’s leaders have taken action to make New Jersey safer,” said Theresa Turner, a volunteer with the New Jersey chapter of Moms Demand Action. “We know that these new laws will address the gun violence happening on a daily basis in our communities. We’re grateful to our elected officials for having the courage to act on this public health crisis.”

Community-based violence intervention programs — like the ones supported by the legislation signed today — apply a localized approach to gun violence prevention that are well-suited to address gun violence in the hardest hit neighborhoods. More about local violence intervention programs can be found here.