TRENTON -- A state Senate committee on Thursday resurrected two gun bills vetoed by Gov. Chris Christie at the end of the last legislative session.

The Law and Public Safety Committee advanced new versions of the measures -- S180, which would prohibit carjackers, gang members and other violent criminals from possessing firearms, and S816, which would alter New Jersey's laws regarding "smart guns."

The bills were among the more than 60 measures passed by the Legislature at the end of the 2014-15 session the governor "pocket vetoed." By neither signing nor vetoing the legislation, Christie -- a Republican presidential candidate -- allowed the bills to die.

S180 passed both houses with near-unanimous bipartisan support, and Christie offered no formal explanation for not signing it.

But on the campaign trail in New Hampshire, where Christie has emphasized his bonafides as a former federal prosecutor as he seeks the Republican nomination for president, the governor called the bill "stupid."

"Those laws already exist," Christie told a New Hampshire town hall. "Anybody who is a felon cannot own a firearm."

But one of the bill's primary sponsors, Sen. Christopher "Kip" Bateman (R-Somerset), told NJ Advance Media it was drafted at the request of county prosecutors. While federal law prohibits felons from obtaining guns, Bateman said, state law enforcement officials could use the proposed law to prosecute violent criminals under New Jersey statutes when they commit gun crimes.

"This is for state courts, and it gives (prosecutors) another offense to charge these criminals with," the senator said. "This had bipartisan support. I'm hoping we're going to have a frank discussion (with the governor) about it."

Christie's office did not respond to a message seeking comment.

New Jersey currently bans those convicted of murder, aggravated assault, burglary, extortion and other serious offenses from possessing firearms. The new bill would add carjacking, gang criminality, racketeering and making terroristic threats to offenses that would preclude gun possession.

The second measure, sponsored by Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen), replaces the state's law regarding personalized handguns, also known as smart guns, which use various technologies to ensure only authorized users can operate a particular firearm.

Weinberg was also a sponsor of the legislation behind New Jersey's current law, on the books since 2002, which mandates only personalized handguns be offered for sale three years after they are properly vetted and on the market.

But in the years after its passage, the gun industry has been slow to fully implement the technology, and the new bill would require that gun dealers offer at least one smart gun model after the technology is deemed viable.

"What this bill does is roll back a gun regulation," Weinberg said, later adding: "I never thought I'd be in such a position, urging a rollback."

Weinberg said the bill is aimed at encouraging the development of the technology, which President Obama has prioritized in a series of recent executive actions on gun control and firearm safety.

The state attorney general would have to certify certain models of smart guns meet New Jersey's standards before the mandate would take effect, Weinberg said.

Second Amendment advocates, including the Association of NJ Rifle and Pistol Clubs, oppose the measure, saying the state should completely roll back its smart gun mandate. The bill was advanced from the committee Thursday along party lines.

S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.