Assembly Speaker Craig J. Coughlin (D-Middlesex) issued the following statement Friday in response to Congress passing its first meaningful gun reform in decades:
“On the heels of the Supreme Court’s decision yesterday, which marked a radical departure from a century of established law, passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act by the House and Senate comes as a hopeful reminder of the will that still exists to work across the aisle to enact common sense gun safety reforms. I thank New Jersey’s congressional delegation for their backing of this legislation, in particular Senator Booker for his leadership as part of the Senate’s bipartisan working group.
“With life-saving legislation on its way to President Biden’s desk, the nation will be better positioned to make investments and take actions that stop gun violence in its tracks. New Jersey has some of the nation’s strongest gun safety laws and we have advocated that others take a page out of our book. Finally, with the real gun safety and violence prevention as provided for by the bill, fellow Americans can begin to take greater comfort in their safety the way New Jerseyans have long been able to do.”