New Jersey has tools that will help stem gun violence
By: Andrew Macurdy
Your Turn
Guest columnist
..... As a federal and state prosecutor here in New Jersey, I saw firsthand the effects of gun violence on communities. I sat with the weeping mother of young man who was executed in a residential Jersey City parking lot as a result of drug turf wars. And I looked into the eyes of a father whose teenager took his hand gun to play with and ended up shooting a friend in the forehead.
.....
As part of a comprehensive effort to limit tragic outcomes like these, New Jessey should first collaborate with other jurisdictions to prevent illegal guns from entering our state, and second, make appropriate updates to our gun violence prevention laws on the books.
..... The vast majority of guns used in crimes in New Jersey flow in from states with less stringent firearms laws. For years, guns have arrived in New Jersey via the "Iron Pipeline," referring to the stretch of I-95 and highways that connect places like Pennsylvania, Virginia and Georgia, where guns are easier to buy, with our state.
..... The consequences of these weapons were consistently on display during my time at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark, where we worked across state lines to reduce gun violence. in one vivid example, I partnered with agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and other law enforcement agencies across jurisdictions to investigate and charge a gun trafficker who oversaw a network of straw purchases buying weapons in Georgia that were then transported to New jersey, resold and used in shootings on the streets of Jersey City. Multi-state enforcement efforts targeted at supplies are a crucial piece of the strategy to keep trafficked weans out of New Jersey.
..... Separate form our attempts to stem the Iron Pipeline, New Jersey's government faces important policy questions on a variety of gun safety measures. A 2022 U.S. Supreme Court case known as Bruen announced a new test for evaluating the constitutionality of gun laws, which has called into question existing regulations like those banning assault weapons and precluding convicted felons and domestic abusers from possessing firearms.
.....
Bruen itself struck down longstanding limitations on individuals carrying firearms in public. After the Supreme Court's opinion, the New Jersey Legislature passed a law preventing the carrying of firearms in certain "sensitive" public places. they legislation is being challenged in court, though most of its provisions have remained in place while an appeal is pending. Depending on the outcome of the court case, subsequent lawmaking may be necessary to ensure New Jersey is adequately promoting public safety under the Bruen test.
..... These open questions on polices like public carry, the assault weapons ban and possession of firearms be grappling with the contours of sensible and legal firearm safety measures for years to come.
..... I am running for the state Assembly this year [2025] because we need effective leaders on the issue of gun violence prevention, among many others, in Trenton. The current representatives in my district - who have been in office a combined 20 years - have failed to support gun violence prevention laws or avoided voting on them altogether. These issues require thoughtful elected officials who can build consensus and out together measured policy that withstands constitutional scrutiny and keeps our residents safe.
..... Andrew Macurdy is a former prosecutor, counsel to the New Jersey attorney general and current Demo-crated candidate for the New Jersey State Assembly in Legislative District 21.