Assemblyman John Allen co-sponsoring two ‘common sense’ gun safety bills

Assemblyman John Allen (D-32) is co-sponsoring two “common sense” gun safety bills, one that would raise the age to purchase a rifle or shotgun from 18 to 21 and the other making firearm license renewals mandatory after four years instead of 10.

By John Heinis/Hudson County View

“While we are making progress, there were still nearly 924 people injured and 191 people killed by guns in New Jersey last year—and that is simply too many,” Allen said in a statement.

“Taken together, these two vital gun safety measures will help shield our residents from senseless gun violence, bringing us closer to having safer communities throughout our state. Gun violence is an epidemic in our country. I’m proud to co-sponsor these two bills in the Assembly, which if adopted, will strengthen our gun laws.”

Bill A-931 raises the age when one can purchase a rifle or shotgun, while Bill A-843 cuts down on the renewal time for firearm ID cards.

“We, as leaders of the Hudson County Chapter of Moms Demand Action, are excited to seeAssemblyman John Allen sign on to support gun safety bills A931 and A843 as both represent common-sense legislation that will protect people from gun violence,” said Amy Faucher and Emily Jabbour, the latter who is also a Hoboken councilwoman-at-large.

“Thank you for prioritizing gun safety as part of your work entering the Assembly, and we are excited to work with our fellow advocates from the Brady Campaign to support these proposed bills.”

Brady NJ United Against Gun Violence Executive Committee President Carole Stiller and Executive Committee member Karen Kanter also came out in support of the bills.

A-931 has 17 co-sponsors, with Assemblyman Roy Freiman (D-16) as the primary sponsor, while A-843 has 11 co-sponsors, with Assemblyman Lou Greenwald (D-6) and Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D-15) as the primary sponsors.

In both instances, fellow Hudson County Assemblyman Will Sampson (D-31) joins Allen as a co-sponsor.