New Jersey ranks low in gun sales
By: Lucas Frau
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... The gun violence epidemic, as some, including New Jersey leaders, would call it, continues to rave the country.
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Federal data shows that gun violence claimed 46,728 lives in 2023; although that is a decrease from 2022, it is still the third-highest number of gun-related deaths in a year in the United States.
..... Amid the national fear sparked by such incidents, New Jersey had one of the lowest rates of gun sales in the country last year. [2024]
..... Gun culture has deep roots in the United States, but firearms were less common last year [2024] in New Jersey than in other states.
..... The safety product review site SafeHomes.org used data from the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System to analyze the sales of firearms nationwide.
..... According to its research, about 16.7 million guns were sold in the United States in 2023, a 4% decline form 2022.
..... In New Jersey, an estimated 175,711 guns were sold to buyers last year. [2024]
The rate of guns sold per 100,000 residents was 253, the third-lowest in the country, with only New York (226) and Nebraska (191) having lower rates. this number was a 5% decline form the previous year. [2023]
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The estimated gun sales in New Jersey from January through April of 2024 was about 63,122, on pace for more sales than the previous year, said the SafeHoues article, which was published in August. [2024]
States' gun sales
..... New Jersey had one of the lowest rates of gun sales, but what states came close? Here is the data presented by SafeHomes on the lowest rate of gun sales last year per 10,000 people.
1. Nebraska: 191.
2. New York: 226.
3. New Jersey: 253.
4. Massachusetts: 255.
5. Rhode Island: 341.
6. Iowa: 353.
7. California: 360.
8. Connecticut: 438.
9. Maryland: 465.
10. Nevada: 501.
..... Conversely, here is what the data shows are the states with the most firearms sold in 2023 per 10,000 residents.
1.
Montana: 1,586.
2. Wyoming: 1,523.
3. Alaska: 1,514.
4. Oregon: 1,372.
5. Alabama: 1,302.
6. New Hampshire: 1,252.
7. Tennessee: 1,207.
8. West Virginia: 1,205.
9. North Dakota: 1,194
10. Idaho: 1,194.
Guns in New Jersey
..... Not only did New Jersey residents buy guns at one of the lowest rates in the country last year, [2023] but the Garden State also had a lower rate of firearm ownership compared with other states.
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About 20% of the state's homes have guns, said an article by Rutgers Research Center in 2022. The figure of 20% may be a higher estimate compared with other reports, as said in the university story.
..... Other reports, such as those in the database known as Data Panda, analyzed gun ownership and found that about 14.7% of residents in New Jersey live in homes with firearms, tied with Massachusetts for the lowest rate. This research was cited in a story by Newsweek in August 2024.
..... Comparatively, about 30% to 40% of American homes have guns, said the article published by Rutgers University.
Gun control laws
..... Many New Jersey officials take pride in the fact that the state has some of the strictest gun control laws in the country.
..... "In New Jersey we understand what it takes to actually stop the vicious cycle of mass shootings and everyday gun violence in New Jersey. We do it by passing commonsense gun safety laws that work," the late Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver said in 2022.
..... New Jersey ranks seventh in the country for gun law strength, said Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit organization that advocates for the end of gun violence.
..... New Jersey requires a rigorous firearm application procedure. to purchase a handgun in the state, a resident mus apply for a permit that would grant access to the firearm. the process includes a criminal records check on the applicant.
,,,,, Not every state requires a background check for buying a gun. New Jersey is one of 20 states that require a background check every time a gun is purchased: the other 30 states may require checks only at licensed dealers, said The Trace, an independent, nonprofit newsroom dedicated to reporting the issues of gun violence.
..... In New Jersey, all firearms transactions must be completed at a state-licensed retail firearm dealer, with the exception of sales between members of an immediate family, law enforcement officers, or collectors who have a valid Collector of Curios and Relics License issued by the Bureau of Alcohol., Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
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New Jersey also has one of the harshest penalties for unlawful possession of a gun, which can mean a charge of a second-degree crime and five to 10 years in prison.
Past legislative attempts
..... Lawmakers including Governor Phil Murphy have made it their mission to enforce stricter gun laws in the Garden state. Efforts to pass concealed carry gun restrictions have recently gone back and forth in court.
..... Murphy signed a bill that would create an official list of where guns wouldn't be allowed, including government buildings, polling places, schools, casinos, beaches and bars in December 2022.
..... The Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs filed a lawsuit in federal court weeks after the law passed two years ago. A federal judge blocked the enforcement of the gun ban, but the state countered by requesting a stay so the law could be enforced, which was granted by a United States circuit judge.
..... Earlier this year, [2024] New Jersey lawmakers attempted to ban the gun know as an AR-15, but a U.S. federal judge ruled that the restriction was unconstitutional.
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The New Jersey Commission of Investigation sent out a report in September [2024] asking New Jersey lawmakers to outlaw the possession of 3D printing plans used to make so-called "ghost guns," which have no serial number and are therefore untraceable.
Death rates from gun violence
..... The Garden State ahas made some progress with gun violence in recent years.
..... New Jersey recored a record-low number of shootings in 2023, the state police reported. That year, 924 people were shot, down 13% from 2022.
..... This was the first time since 2009, the year New Jersey started tracking data, when shooting victims fell below 1,000 people. Of those who were shot, 191 were killed, down 8% from the previous year.