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New Jersey Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action Applaud State Legislature on Passage of Sweeping Gun Safety Bill Package

6.29.2022

The New Jersey chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statement after the New Jersey Legislature voted today to pass the vast majority of Governor Murphy’s Gun Safety 3.0 proposal, a sweeping package of gun safety measures promoting industry accountability, closing loopholes for importing out-of-state firearms, and strengthening the state’s firearm permitting laws, among other reforms. Following the tragedies in Buffalo and Uvalde and in light of the gun violence impacting communities everyday, gun safety advocates and gun violence survivors across the state have called on lawmakers to take immediate action on Governor Murphy’s gun safety measures. The eight gun safety bills will now be sent to the governor for signature.

“We commend Governor Murphy, Senate President Scutari, Assembly Speaker Coughlin, and our gun sense champions in the legislature for taking a critical step to reduce the epidemic of gun violence and further reinforce New Jersey’s standing as a national leader in combating gun violence,” said Jenifer Berrier Gonzalez, a volunteer and State Legislative Lead with the New Jersey chapter of Moms Demand Action. “But we know our work doesn’t stop here. We intend to continue working hard to pass measures promoting the secure storage of firearms and raising the age to purchase rifles and shotguns to 21. As gun violence continues to impact communities across our state, we can and must do more to stop it by continuing to show up and advocate for common sense gun safety policies to make New Jersey safer.”

The bills include, but are not limited to:

  • S1204 would require firearm owners who become New Jersey residents to obtain firearm purchaser identification cards and register handguns acquired out-of-state.
  • A1302/S2903 would regulate the sale of handgun ammunition and develop a system of electronic reporting of handgun ammunition and firearm sales into a state database.
  • A1765/S1893 would allow the Attorney General to sue bad actors in the firearm industry whose misconduct harms New Jerseyans.
  • A4370 would require training prior to issuance of firearms purchaser identification card and permit to purchase handgun under certain circumstances; provides that firearms purchaser identification card is valid for ten years.

In January 2022, the Legislature took a first step in acting on Governor Murphy’s Gun Safety 3.0 proposal by passing legislation requiring age-appropriate school safety drills to prevent the unnecessary traumatization of schoolchildren. Earlier this month, volunteers and advocates gathered outside Senate President Scutari’s office to urge him to advance the bill package.

While the bills that passed the New Jersey Legislature today include a number of lifesaving measures, bills promoting secure firearms storage and raising the age to purchase long guns have not yet passed the legislature. Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action will continue fighting to pass these critical reforms. The advancement of this bill comes on the heels of President Biden signing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act this past Saturday, a historic gun safety, mental health, and school safety bill – the first major federal gun safety law to pass Congress in nearly 26 years.


In an average year, 439 people are killed by guns in New Jersey and another 1,398 are wounded. More information about gun violence in New Jersey is available here.