Jersey City Freeholder Gerard Balmir (D-3) introduced a resolution urging all 12 municipalities “to adopt ordinances regulating the sale, possession or use of replica or toy imitation firearms” at the Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders meeting Thursday night – which passed unanimously.Â
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A few members of the public, beginning with Jersey City NAACP President William Braker – a former freeholder and retired 34-year veteran of the Jersey City police force – voiced their approval of the concept given the recent string of gun violence in Jersey City.
Tina Bland, the president of Black Interest Team Enterprise (BITE) and Pamela Johnson, the executive director of the Jersey City Anti-Violence Coalition Movement, also spoke in favor of the resolution.
We also spoke to Balmir after the meeting to find out why he wanted this measure considered during the holiday season.
He also clarified that this resolution is not aimed at toy guns that are brightly colored and/or don’t resemble real firearms.
The measure hopes to prevent instances such as when 12-year-old Cleveland boy, Tamir Rice, was gunned down by police when a toy gun was mistaken for a real weapon in November 2014.
Experts have recently called the fatal police shooting a reasonable response, per The New York Post.
Now the gun nuts are going to complain that they’re violating children’s constitutional rights!
I think this is an excellent idea and it’s about time. I wish they would ban sales of all guns for kids. Let’s not teach them to play with violence at such a young age. Let’s not teach them that guns are fun. There are enough toys for kids to play with, without the need for guns.
This is not just about avoiding tragedies like what happened to Tamir Rice. It’s also about not exposing kids while they’re young to the insane gun worship that seems to be growing every day in this country, with deadly and tragic results on a daily basis.
Kudos to the community members for supporting this bill and to the Freeholders for passing it.