TRENTON (KYW Newsradio) — New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy unveiled a comprehensive gun safety package on Thursday, in an effort to mitigate gun violence in the state.
"Some of these are new steps we can take. Others are what we can file under 'unfinished business,'" said Murphy.
The gun safety package includes increasing violence intervention funding by $10 million.
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"These will be new funds on top of our ongoing efforts to support hospital-based intervention efforts," the governor said.
He also laid out gun safety legislation that includes mandatory firearm safety training, raising the minimum age of purchasing long guns to 21, establishing electronic ammunition sales record keeping, and mandating that all handguns sold in New Jersey come equipped with micro-stamping technology.
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"That leaves a one-of-a-kind imprint on every round of ammunition fired, a veritable 'license plate' that can trace a round to a specific gun," said the Governor.
Murphy asked for the end of a particular type of weapon.
"Let's once and for all ban the sale of .50 caliber firearms," he expressed. "Period."
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The governor also said he's directing the New Jersey Department of Education to reform the active shooter exercises practiced in schools there.
"To ensure uniform guidelines on how they should be conducted, and to minimize the stress, emotional damage and trauma that unregulated drills can cause to the very students they mean to protect," explained Murphy.
This includes barring the use of simulated gun shots, providing advance notice to parents about drills, limiting how long a drill can last and prohibiting rewarding children for fighting off potential gunmen.
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