Murphy: Florida school shooting survivors 'showing us the way' on gun control

Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday praised the students staging gun control protests across the country in response to the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida last week that left 17 people dead.

“God love them, man, because our generation ain’t getting it done, at least nationally,” Murphy said at a Trenton news conference where Cabinet officials and legislative leaders outlined steps to combat gun violence in New Jersey. “Kids are showing us the way, as [is] usually the case.”

Murphy, a Democrat, sought to assure parents in New Jersey that “we are doing everything we can” to keep their children safe. He vowed once again to sign a package of gun control legislation that was blocked by Republican former Gov. Chris Christie and said his administration is reviewing current gun safety protocols and working to enhance cooperation between school and law enforcement officials.

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Citing a statistic that more than 80 percent of guns used in crimes in New Jersey come from out of state, Murphy also repeated a refrain from the campaign trail that he would like to create a coalition with other states to limit the flow of weapons into New Jersey, but he did not provide details on the proposal.

“Let me be perfectly clear: Nothing that we are doing here can be a replacement for comprehensive gun safety reform at the federal level, including a ban on military-style weapons, preventing those with mental illness from having access to guns and instituting universal background checks on all gun sales,” Murphy said.

“But we cannot wait for that time to come or until the next mass shooting, which, if we answer this tragedy with a collective shrug, is sure to happen,” he added.

Scott Bach, executive director of the Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs, an affiliate of the National Rifle Association, pushed back against Murphy on Tuesday.

“Hardware bans don't stop those intent on doing evil, and make no one safer,” Bach said in a statement. “Police or armed personnel are the only things that can stop an attack in progress, and our lawmakers must awaken to that fact if they truly wish to keep our schools safe.”

New Jersey schools have not been immune to the fears stoked by the Feb. 14 shooting in Florida, which replaced the 1999 Columbine High School massacre as the deadliest high school shooting in America. Parents in Nutley have asked that armed guards be assigned to schools after a security threat shut down the district on Friday. And a middle school in Parsippany went into lockdown the same day after a student found a bullet in the hallway.

State Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said at the news conference Tuesday that his office would review both its directive on school safety and the reporting systems by which tips about potentially troubled individuals are followed up on by law enforcement officials in the state.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been roundly criticized for failing to act on a tip about Nikolas Cruz, the confessed shooter at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, that could have prevented the shooting.

Also in attendance Tuesday were Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester; Assembly Majority Leader Craig Coughlin, D-Middlesex; state police Superintendent Col. Patrick Callahan; acting Commissioner of Children and Families Christine Norbut Beyer; New Jersey Department of Homeland Security Director Jared Maples; and acting Commissioner of Education Lamont Repollet.

Repollet said his department would issue guidance to local officials to make sure that New Jersey students can safely participate in gun control protests, several of which are scheduled in the coming months.

Email: pugliese@northjersey.com