ASSEMBLY JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION No. 277

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  DECEMBER 13, 2021

      The Assembly Judiciary Committee reports favorably Assembly Resolution No. 277.

     This Assembly resolution supports the Governor’s call to reconvene the “States for Gun Safety” Summit and calls for the summit to reconvene as soon as it is safe for participants to attend, taking into consideration the COVID-19 pandemic.

     While New Jersey has the sixth-lowest gun death rate in the nation, more than 400 New Jersey residents are still killed with a gun each year, according to the Giffords Law Center. 

     New Jersey was poised to host a multi-state summit in Newark in 2020 on gun safety issues.  This summit was a first of its kind event organized by a coalition of states that formed three years ago in response to persistent inaction on gun control at the federal level.

     The summit was expected to draw governors and officials from New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

     Governor Murphy is commended for calling the “States for Gun Safety” Summit in an effort to reduce the epidemic of gun violence.

     The summit should be reconvened as soon as it is safe for participants to attend, taking into consideration the COVID-19 pandemic.