Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ) is calling for a .50 caliber rifle ban and ammunition purchase database as a way to fight gun crime in his state.
ABC7 notes, Murphy also wants “gun safety training” to be required as part of the process of obtaining a firearm ID card, gun storage obligations enacted, out of state firearms to have mandated registration, and relaunch “smart gun commission” and the requirement of microstamping, among other things.
Here is what Murphy’s proposed package includes:
- Requiring firearm safety training to receive a permit to purchase a gun or firearm ID card.
- Making gun owners keep their firearms in a securely locked box or container, in a location that a reasonable person would believe to be secure, or to secure the firearm with a trigger lock.
- Raising the minimum age to purchase long guns from 18 to 21, aligning it with the minimum age for a handgun. The law would still allow those at least 18 years old to possess a long gun for purposes of hunting, military drills, competition, target practice, training, or under the supervision of a parent or guardian.
Murphy’s ideas are failing, as they are already enacted in other states.
California, for example, already has ammunition gun control; South Los Angeles witnessed a spike of 742 percent in shooting victims during the first 16 days of 2021. California also has a microstamping requirement and firearm registration.
Regarding .50 caliber rifles, they are rarely, if ever, used in crime. And smart guns have proven to be anything but. A pistol with a biometric reader–a gun that locks like a smartphone – is difficult to unlock if the user’s fingers are wet, bloodied, or muddied:
“Just because we’ve got among the strongest gun safety laws and sets of laws in the nation does not mean they can’t be stronger,” Murphy said.
“New Jersey already boasts some of the strongest gun control laws in the nation,” the New Jersey Globe reports. Yet Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver describes gun violence as “a constant burden and threat to the public health and well-being of our communities.”
Murphy also wants to spend $10 million on violence intervention programs and another $2 million on gun violence research and regulating school shooting drills.
