Murphy tightens gun control standards, asserts himself in national debate

Nicholas Pugliese | NorthJersey

Show Caption Hide Caption Father of Parkland victim at Phil Murphy event Fred Guttenberg, father of Parkland shooting victim Jaime Guttenberg, speaks in support of Gov Phil Murphy measures on gun control.

Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy signed six new gun control measures into law Wednesday, at once fulfilling a central campaign promise and forging ahead with his project to make New Jersey a national leader in tightening firearm standards.

The laws vary in scope and effectiveness — the most significant would reduce the legal capacity of gun magazines from 15 rounds to 10 rounds and make it easier for law enforcement to seize guns from people deemed to pose a threat — but together they represent a largely Democratic response to a string of high-profile mass shootings that have rattled America in recent years.

“It is great to be here with leaders who share the simple belief that smart, comprehensive and common-sense gun safety laws will do much more to keep our communities safe than the guns-on-every-street-corner and guns-in-every-classroom thinking of the gun lobby,” Murphy said during a bill-signing ceremony in Trenton’s justice complex.

Murphy was joined at the high-spirited event by a swarm of lawmakers, officials, activists and students, including Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student Alfonso Calderon, who survived the Feb. 14 Parkland shooting that left 17 people dead.

Calderon, 16, said although he is too young to vote, he and other student activists would fight to make gun laws a central issue in the 2018 midterm elections.

“We have one message to all of those politicians who won’t wear their pride on their sleeve, who won’t stand up to the NRA, and who won’t be decent human beings,” Calderon told the audience. “We’re going to vote them out.”

The atmosphere in Trenton stood in contrast to the sentiment among gun rights activists, who have criticized the measures as feel-good but ultimately counterproductive policies that target law-abiding citizens.

Immediately after Murphy signed the legislation, Scott Bach, executive director of the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs, announced that his organization, with help from the National Rifle Association, had filed a federal lawsuit to overturn the limit on magazine capacities.

“This unconstitutional law will be ignored by criminals and madmen and affects only law-abiding citizens,” Bach said in a statement. “It turns one million people into criminals with the stroke of a pen, limits self-defense and takes away property lawfully acquired.”

Such antagonism from gun rights groups is expected to grow in coming months as the Murphy administration ratchets up its gun control efforts. The governor has said he will sign any gun-related bill vetoed by his predecessor, Republican Chris Christie, and has called for increased fees on gun licenses and more funding for research into gun violence.

Together with Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, Murphy has pieced together a regional gun coalition that includes six states and Puerto Rico, and the state has begun releasing monthly reports designed to “name and shame” states with laxer regulation by detailing where “crime guns” recovered in New Jersey were first purchased.

And just this week, Grewal sent letters to the makers of so-called “ghost guns” — partially-assembled firearms that have not been registered and do not have serial numbers — threatening legal action if they do not stop advertising and selling the products in New Jersey.

“This is simply outrageous and it won’t be tolerated in this state,” Grewal said Wednesday of the ghost gun makers.

What the new gun control laws do

The laws signed by Murphy on Wednesday do the following:

A-1217: Allows a police officer, family or household member of a gun owner to petition for an “extreme risk protective order,” authorizing authorities to seize the weapon.

A-1181: Requires law enforcement to seize firearms from individuals deemed by a mental health professional to pose a threat to themselves or others

A-2761: Imposes a 10-round limit on the capacity of gun magazines, down from the current limit of 15.

A-2757: Requires background checks for private gun sales, even though New Jersey already requires background checks to get the permit or ID card needed to purchase a firearm.

A-2758: Creates a stricter standard of what applicants for a concealed carry permit must show to prove they need it.

A-2759: Adopts the federal definition of “armor-piercing ammunition” into state law.

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The law creating extreme risk protective orders takes effect in September, while the law on background checks takes effect in October, Murphy said. The other four bills take effect immediately.

Email: pugliese@northjersey.com