Gov. Phil Murphy recently pushed New Jersey lawmakers to pass a package of new gun laws in a state that already has more restrictions than most.
Proponents, including some law enforcement leaders, have said the reforms could reduce gun deaths. Critics have said the changes would do little to stop rising homicides while burdening law-abiding gun owners, especially as a surging number of residents apply to own firearms.
Of the eight proposals, seven have previously been considered by lawmakers. Three passed the state Assembly in previous sessions, but none made it through the Senate. Both chambers would have to approve each proposal in the current session to make it to the governor’s desk.
Here’s a breakdown of each.
Safety classes
This bill (A5030) would allow people to buy guns only after completing a safety course approved by the head of the State Police.
Retired cops and veterans who were honorably discharged would be exempt.
Several states require classes of some kind, including Illinois and Maryland. California’s training covers everything from how to childproof a gun safe to how to react to a malfunctioning revolver.
Current law requires residents apply with their local police departments or the State Police for a firearms purchaser identification card or a handgun permit.
Those cards generally don’t have to be renewed, but the new proposal would mandate cards be renewed every few years, and it would require someone earn a card or a permit before inheriting a gun from a family member.
An earlier version once passed the state Assembly 45-24.
Gun safes
If you aren’t using your gun, another bill would mandate storing the firearm with a trigger lock and in “a securely locked box or container” in your home.
Leaving a firearm out would be a disorderly persons offense, which can put you behind bars for up to six months, although it’s unclear how the law would be enforced.
This proposal (A3696) was introduced last legislative session. The Assembly gave it the green light with a 54-18 vote.
Massachusetts also requires guns to be stored under the protection of a “tamper-resistant mechanical lock.”
Ammunition databases
Another proposal would require gun sellers to store information about ammunition sales in an electronic database.
Currently, sellers can keep records in handwritten log books, which make it harder for cops to track purchases, according to a 2016 report by the State Commission of Investigation, an independent watchdog.
A new database would have to at least include the transaction date, the type and quantity of ammunition and the name and address of the buyer, under a bill (A1292) that has not yet been debated by lawmakers this session.
Companies would have to develop an electronic tracking system within a year and pass the information along to the State Police.
Some states have similar requirements, like California. New York requires sellers keep records but they don’t have to be on a computer.
Age limit
You currently can buy a firearm in New Jersey when you turn 18, although handguns are restricted to 21 year olds.
A bill (A1141) would restrict all purchases to people 21 and older.
If residents haven’t hit that milestone, they could still use a gun in certain circumstances, such as teenagers hunting with parents or soldiers training at boot camp.
States have different age limits for long guns and handguns, as well as different restrictions for owning or just possessing firearms, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Both Hawaii and Illinois generally restrict purchases to 21.
Versions of this proposal have been introduced but not passed in recent years.
License plates for ammunition
Murphy also touted technology allowing manufacturers to etch tiny characters in handguns that note the make, model and serial number. When a bullet is fired, that information should imprint onto the bullet’s cartridge case.
Proponents say it’s akin to adding license plates to ammunition, which could make it easier for law enforcement to match crime scene evidence with specific guns.
California passed a bill mandating the technology in 2007, which led to an ongoing fight with manufacturers including Smith & Wesson Brands Inc., which refused to adopt what it called an “unreliable” practice.
A bill (S112) requiring companies use that technology on handguns sold in the Garden State has been introduced before, but it hasn’t gotten traction.
.50 caliber firearms
One bill would ban .50 caliber rifles which fire bullets about a half-inch wide and a few inches long, larger than most ammunition available.
The U.S. Army uses that caliber to damage light-armored vehicles and low-flying aircraft. One prominent rifle can fire .50 caliber bullets up to four miles, according to the Barrett 82A1 owner’s manual.
A single bullet can cost several dollars while rifles may run upwards of $10,000.
The proposal (A1280) has repeatedly been introduced but never approved. It would allow someone who already owns a .50 caliber rifle to keep it after paying a $50 registration fee, although owners couldn’t pass those weapons to heirs.
A few parts of the country have similar restrictions, including Washington D.C.
New residents and guns
Right now, gun owners moving to the state do not have to apply for firearm purchaser identification cards if they legally bought their firearm in another part of the country.
A bill (A3686) would force newcomers to apply for those cards and register their guns 30 days after arriving.
The proposal has not advanced far in the Legislature when it’s been introduced before.
California, Hawaii, Maryland and New York each require you declare at least certain types of guns when you move there, according to a spokeswoman for the National Rifle Association.
Liability for gun companies
The New York Senate is currently weighing a bill (S8926A) to make it easier to sue gun manufacturers if their weapons are used in crimes.
Murphy wants New Jersey to adopt a similar proposal. The state is already fighting Smith & Wesson in court to try and force the company to release more information about how it advertises to residents.
The attorney general’s office hired an outside firm in 2019 to investigate “Gun Manufacturers’ Deceptive or Misleading Advertising,” according to the retention agreement.
More funding, better training
In addition to the eight bills, Murphy also pitched spending an addition $10 million on community organizations that work to prevent violence, and $2 million on gun violence research at Rutgers University.
Lawmakers are still debating the governor’s budget proposal.
Murphy also wants his education department to standardize active-shooter drills for schools. The governor’s office called current guidelines “vague,” and Murphy said new rules should include time limits, a ban on simulated gunshots, parental notification about upcoming drills and a push against children fighting shooters, among other suggestions.
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Blake Nelson may be reached at bnelson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BCunninghamN.
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