In Jersey City, Murphy, Grewal say that GUNstat reports will include manufacturer info

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Gov. Phil Murphy (D) and New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced that GUNstat reports will soon include information regarding the manufacturers of guns used in violent crimes across the state.

“Over the past year, we have been working with the State Police to release GUNStat reports, showing where firearms used in crimes in our state come from,” Murphy said in a statement.

“Our next step is to show which firearms manufacturers’ weapons are endangering our streets. It is my hope that bringing light to this topic will encourage these manufacturers to act responsibly and work with us to stop weapons they make from ending up in the hands of dangerous criminals. We must continue working to end the scourge of gun violence in our communities.”

Grewal added that there is no reason that this information should not be public information.

“The public deserves to know more about the sources of guns in our state. That’s why I’m proud to work the New Jersey State Police to show the links between manufacturers and crime guns,” he said.

“Firearms manufacturers have a real role to play in keeping us all safe, and in light of these reports, I call on them to put into place strong measures against straw purchasing and to invest in technologies that will make their products safer. New Jersey residents deserve nothing less.”

Additionally, Murphy today joined the “Do Not Stand Idly By” campaign’s demand letter seeking information from gun manufacturers on their practices to protect public safety.

The goal of the campaign is to significantly reduce firearms related deaths, injuries and crimes in the United States and to modernize and stabilize the gun industry.

“To address the issue of gun violence that plagues New Jersey communities, we must demand action from gun manufacturers. These companies don’t have to wait on Congress or state legislatures to act. They can take action today to invest in gun safety technology,” Rev. Dr. Alonzo Perry Sr. & Rev. Dr. Joshua Rodriguez, two clergy leaders with New Jersey Together, said in a joint statement.

Last year, Murphy signed Executive Order 21, which calls for publication of information related to guns used in the commission of crimes statewide.

Since then, the New Jersey Department of Law & Public Safety and the New Jersey State Police have been releasing monthly GUNStat Reports on the number of guns recovered by county and city.

These reports also currently include the type and caliber of gun, as well as a breakdown of shooting victims, as well as quarterly reports on the source state of the guns.

The latter reports have confirmed that approximately 80 percent of crime guns in New Jersey come from out of state.

Speaking at the Mary L. McLeod Bethune Center, Murphy also stressed the importance of anti-gun trafficking, investing in smart gun technology, regulating ammunition and promoting violence intervention programs.

Additionally, Grewal filed a lawsuit against a company seeking to distribute computer code to allow for the printing of 3D guns, and challenged the ghost gun industry for its sales into the state.

He also issued a directive requiring state and local law enforcement to share their crime gun intelligence with each other.

Beyond that, the Department of Law & Public Safety announced a multi-agency law enforcement operation to arrest 166 fugitives and seize 11 firearms (Operation Summer in the City, in July 2018) and indicted a firearms trafficking ring from Ohio (in February 2018).

As Grewal has previously noted, “six-month data for 2018 shows a decline of 24 percent in shooting ‘hit’ victims in New Jersey, compared to the same period in 2017, and a 23 percent decline in shooting murder victims.”


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