straw gun purchases

            TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senators Sandra Bolden Cunningham and Teresa Ruiz, which would prohibit the sale and purchase of more than one hand-gun per person within a 30-day period was approved today by the Senate Law, Public Safety and Veterans Affairs Committee by a vote of 3 to 2.

            According to the sponsors, the bill is intended to prevent “straw purchasing,” or purchasing a firearm for someone who is not legally allowed to buy one.

            The Senators’ bill, S-1774, would ban the sale or purchase of more than one handgun per person within a 30-day period.  The bill would focus on straw purchasers and bulk sellers, who obtain multiple gun permits, buy the guns and then sell them on the black market to unlicensed buyers. 

            “With handgun violence seemingly on the rise all over the nation, it is imperative that we fight to control and reduce the number of guns on the streets,” said Senator Cunningham, D-Hudson.  “This legislation is not an attempt to prohibit law enforcement officers or licensed gun collectors from exercising their Constitutional right to bear arms.  Our goal is to impose severe regulations and significant barriers on criminals and straw gun purchasers, and send a clear message that we will fight to protect the safety of all of New Jersey’s neighborhoods.”

            “While upstanding, licensed gun owners and law enforcement officers have every right to have firearms, convicted criminals and minors do not,” said Senator Ruiz, D-Essex and Union.  “This legislation is a step in the right direction toward reclaiming our neighborhoods, and making them safe for children, the elderly, and all who call New Jersey their home.”

TRENTON – State Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney today released the following statement thanking the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms industry, for bringing a major campaign to the Garden State, designed to warn residents of the dangers and severe penalties of illegal straw purchasing.

            The campaign, called “Don’t Lie for the Other Guy,” is a cooperative effort between members of the firearms industry through NSSF, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), designed to deter straw gun purchases, or purchasing a firearm for someone who is not legally allowed to buy one.

            “I am thankful for the initiative taken by the National Shooting Sports Foundation to educate residents and others who might seek to bring straw purchased firearms from other areas of the nation into our cities and towns,” said Senator Sweeney, D-Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem.  “This program can make a real difference in our efforts to make New Jersey a safer state.”