WASHINGTON -- The Trenton shooting, where one person was killed and 22 injured, sparked a new debate over gun safety as New Jersey passed new regulations while congressional Republicans acted to roll back national rules.

"Despite all of our state's efforts, New Jersey is not an island -- we can't make our neighborhoods safe as long as guns can come in across a bridge or state line, from Pennsylvania or North Carolina," said Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-12th Dist., whose district includes Trenton. "This is a problem we can only solve at the national level, with Congress leading the way."

And Bishop David O'Connell, bishop of Trenton, decried the "ongoing, seemingly relentless acts of gun violence plaguing our cities."

"How many times can our hearts break?" he said.

Gov. Phil Murphy last week signed legislation banning most magazines of more than 10 rounds of ammunition and armor-piercing "cop-killer" bullets, making it harder to receive handgun permits, requiring background checks for all private sales, and keeping guns from those deemed a threat to themselves.

But given Sunday's shooting, National Rifle Association Regional Vice President Bob Verhasselt questioned how effective those measures were.

"I thought Governor Murphy got elected to 'end the scourge of gun violence,'" Verhasselt said. "Looks like he and his progressive Democratic minions had better concentrate their efforts in the urban areas if they want to be more effective."

Murphy on Sunday acknowledged that "we're a long way from getting rid of this senselessness," and even when signing the bills called on Congress to act.

Congressional Republicans have sought to weaken gun restrictions, not strengthen them.

House Republicans voted to overturn state restrictions against concealed weapons, and to prevent the federal government from stopping mentally ill veterans from buying guns unless a judge ruled that they were dangers to themselves or others.

GOP lawmakers also voted to overturn the requirement that the Social Security Administration report the names of those with mental illnesses who need representatives to handle their disability and supplemental benefit checks. President Donald Trump signed that bill into law.

And while Trump accused lawmakers of of being "petrified" of the NRA, he has pushed for more guns in schools by arming teachers. He also has characterized new gun laws as a threat to the right to bear arms, even though the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that certain regulations are constitutional.

The NRA spent $55 million in the 2016 elections on behalf of Trump and congressional Republicans, more than any other interest group, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington-based research organization.

Rep. Chris Smith, R-4th Dist., who voted against the concealed carry measure, called on his fellow congressional Republicans to act in response to the Trenton shooting.

"This is another tragedy that compels policy makers at all levels including Congress to do more to end the escalating violence, including universal background checks to keep guns away from dangerous people," Smith said.

And Watson Coleman, who in 2016 helped lead a Democratic sit-in on the House floor in an unsuccessful effort to force votes on gun measures, urged her colleagues to act.

"As it comes home to my own district, I'm heartbroken knowing we could make it harder to access these weapons," Watson Coleman said.

"Dozens of the congressmen and women I work with every day have gotten the call I got this morning alerting them to a shooting in their district. For anyone that hasn't, I'm asking to work with you now, before it happens to you. There are bills ready for consideration right now. We just need to be brave enough to call for votes."

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.