Firearms seized by Newark police are displayed at an April 2017 press conference announcing the department's planned destruction of 150 illegally possessed guns. (Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

by Thomas Moriarty | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Since he took office, Gov. Phil Murphy's administration has taken an aggressive stance on gun control in New Jersey, reversing his predecessor's move to loosen concealed carry licensing and intervening in a nationwide legal controversy over 3D-printed firearms, among other measures.

One of the biggest challenges the state's executive branch continues to face is controlling the influx of out-of-state guns – weapons that he can't regulate.

Of the firearms seized from crime scenes by New Jersey law enforcement agencies in the first six months of this year, 77 percent of those recovered in the first quarter and 82 percent of those seized in the second quarter were originally purchased out of state, according to New Jersey State Police.

Under the administration's GUNStat program, State Police and the Attorney General's Office are now publishing quarterly reports tracking, among other data, which states have been the original purchasing locations for firearms seized by law enforcement agencies in New Jersey.

Law enforcement authorities have said most illegal guns from out of state make the journey to the Garden State via the "iron pipeline," a nickname for the Interstate 95 corridor that connects the New York metro area to southern states with less restrictive gun laws.

Of the top 15 out-of-state sources for firearms seized by police in the state this year, eight are in the South, according to State Police data. The No. 1 source, however, is much closer to home.

Here are the top 15 states that sold firearms eventually seized in New Jersey in the first six months of 2018, ranked in order of firearms traced to each state since Jan. 1:

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13. Delaware (tied)

Guns recovered in New Jersey: 9

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13. Mississippi (tied)

Guns recovered in New Jersey: 9

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12. Vermont

Guns recovered in New Jersey: 10

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11. Indiana

Guns recovered in New Jersey: 13

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10. New York

Guns recovered in New Jersey: 20

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9. Tennessee (tied)

Guns recovered in New Jersey: 21

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9. West Virginia (tied)

Guns recovered in New Jersey: 21

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8. Texas

Guns recovered in New Jersey: 24

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7. Ohio

Guns recovered in New Jersey: 37

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6. Florida

Guns recovered in New Jersey: 55

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5. South Carolina

Guns recovered in New Jersey: 85

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4. North Carolina

Guns recovered in New Jersey: 105

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3. Virginia

Guns recovered in New Jersey: 107

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2. Georgia

Guns recovered in New Jersey: 108

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1. Pennsylvania

Guns recovered in New Jersey: 171

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A handgun originally purchased in Florida that was used in a 2002 homicide in Newark. (Frank H. Conlon/The Star-Ledger)

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Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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