3 Gun Safety Bills Being Heard on Feb. 24th

3 Gun Safety Bills Being Heard on Feb. 24th

Among the bills being heard by the Senate Law & Public Safety Committee on Monday, February 24th are three gun safety measures:

S120 Increases criminal penalties if leaving loaded firearm within easy access of minor results in injury or death.

Under current law, a person who knows or reasonably should know that a minor is likely to gain access to a loaded firearm at a premises under the person’s control is required to store the firearm in a securely locked box or container, or in a location which a reasonable person would believe to be secure, or to secure the firearm with a trigger lock. A person who fails to follow these precautions is guilty of a disorderly person’s offense if a minor gains access to the loaded firearm.  This bill upgrades this offense to a crime of the fourth degree if a violation of the current law results in bodily injury, and a crime of the third degree if a violation results in serious bodily injury or death. A disorderly person’s offense is punishable by up to six months imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. A crime of the fourth degree is punishable by up to 18 months imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000, or both; a crime of the third degree is punishable by three to five years imprisonment, a fine of up to $15,000, or both.

S746 Prohibits possession of firearm by person convicted of animal cruelty, and prohibits them from being issued a firearms purchaser identification card or a permit to purchase a handgun

The thinking behind measures such as this one: research shows that animal abusers are five times more likely to commit violent crimes against people than non-abusers.

SJR41 Designates June 2 of each year as “Gun Violence Awareness Day.”

The date June 2nd was chosen in memory of Hadiya Pendleton a 15-year-old from Chicago who was shot and killed just one week after performing at President Obama’s second inaugural parade in 2013. On June 2, 2013, a group of Chicago teens marched in Hadiya’s honor to raise awareness about firearm violence. Since then, similar marches have been held nationwide each year on June 2nd to draw attention to firearm violence and demand action to end such tragedies.

If you’d like to express your position on these bills, here’s a contact list for the members of the Senate Law & Public Safety Committee:

Senator Linda Greenstein, Chair  sengreenstein@njleg.org 609-395-9911

Senator Joe Cryan, Vice-Chair, sencryan@njleg.org 908-624-0880

Senator Tony M. Bucco, senbucco@njleg.org 973-627-9700

Senator Nia Gill, sengill@njleg.org 973-509-0388

Senator Declan O’Scanlon, senoscanlon@njleg.org  732-444-1838

Senator Nicholas Sacco, sensacco@njleg.org 201-295-0200

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