(LINDEN) – Senator Nicholas Scutari and Assemblywoman Linda Stender joined gun violence prevention organizations at a press conference on Wednesday to urge the governor to sign gun violence prevention legislation that would ban certain weapons and keep guns away from individuals on the federal terror watch list.
“While our state’s gun laws are among the strongest in the nation, we are still seeing far too many cases of gun violence taking place in communities across our state,” said Sen. Nicholas P. Scutari (D-Union). “The Legislature recently took action on a number of bills to help combat gun violence and make our streets safer, including banning high-caliber military style weapons and ensuring that anyone who is on the federal Terrorist Watch list is explicitly prohibited from purchasing a firearm in this state. I urge the governor to sign these common-sense reforms which will further strengthen our gun laws and help keep our residents out of harm’s way.”
“Many of our communities are being torn apart by persistent gun violence. New Jersey has some of the toughest gun laws in the country, but more needs to be done to reduce gun violence and keep residents safe,” said Stender (D-Union/Middlesex/Somerset). “The Legislature did its due diligence and passed a series of bills aimed at protecting New Jersey’s residents without infringing on the rights of responsible gun owners. I’m sure the governor agrees that keeping guns away from individuals who are on the federal terror watch list and making our communities safer is a cause worth pursuing, so I hope that he will do the right thing for the people of New Jersey and sign these bills.”
Scutari and Stender joined representatives from Ceasefire NJ and New Jersey for Safety from Gun Violence, as well as other speakers, who called on the governor to sign the following bills: (A-3659/S-2178) to ban .50-caliber weapons and (A-3687/S-2485) which would prohibit those on the federal terror watch list from being able to obtain a Firearms ID Card in the state.
Scutari and Stender are primary sponsors of (A-3687/S-2485).
The bill (A-3659/S-2178) received final legislative approval and was sent to the governor in late June, while the bill (A-3687/S-2485) was sent to the governor in late May.