N.J. Assembly Judiciary Committee to Consider 7-Bill Gun Safety Package

Quijano: ‘We will do better – and Wednesday is the start of that effort’

(TRENTON) – The New Jersey Assembly Judiciary Committee will hold a special Wednesday meeting to consider a 7-bill gun safety package.

Wednesday’s hearing comes after the recent high school shooting in Florida, but also continues the ongoing Assembly effort to reduce gun violence. The bills up Wednesday aim to encourage personalized handguns, keep guns away from those who pose threats, reduce ammunition magazine capacity, enhance background checks, ban armor-piercing ammunition and counter efforts to weaken gun safety regulations.

“We’re going to have a respectful discussion about gun safety focused on common sense solutions that respect the rights of law-abiding citizens,” said Assembly Judiciary Chairwoman Annette Quijano (D-Union). “We’re all tired of seeing one tragedy after another play out with next to nothing getting done to protect children and communities. We need to do better. We will do better – and Wednesday is the start of that effort.”

Wednesday’s hearing will start at 11 a.m. in Committee Room 11 of the State House Annex in Trenton.

Audio of the hearing will be livestreamed at: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/media/live_audio.asp.

The following bills will be considered:

• A-1016 (Johnson/Vainieri Huttle/Eustace/Wimberly) – Establishes commission to approve personalized handguns; requires firearm retailers to sell personalized handguns.
• A-1181 (Jones/Mosquera/Sumter/Downey/Barclay) – Requires firearms seizure when mental health professional determines patient poses threat of harm to self or others.
• A-1217 (McKeon) – Authorizes gun violence restraining orders and firearm seizure warrants.
• A-2757 (Greenwald/Holley) – Requires background check for private gun sales.
• A-2758 (Greenwald) – Codifies regulations defining justifiable need to carry handgun.
• A-2759 (Greenwald/Murphy) – Prohibits possession of ammunition capable of penetrating body armor.
• A-2761 (Greenwald) – Reduces maximum capacity of ammunition magazines to 10 rounds; exempts firearms with .22 caliber tubular magazines from 10 round limitation.