The statement below is by Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. regarding Gov. Phil Murphy signing legislation to hold gun traffickers criminally liable.

“On Wednesday, Gov. Phil Murphy signed a groundbreaking piece of legislation that will change the way gun traffickers are prosecuted for their crimes. The Real Accountability for Consequences of Unlawful Trafficking of Firearms Act establishes strict criminal punishments for gun traffickers when a firearm they provided is used in a crime that results in serious/significant bodily injury or death.

This legislation, which is the first of its kind in the nation, makes it so that a trafficked firearm used for a crime resulting in a death can be charged with a first-degree crime. Additionally, a person who commits a firearm trafficking violation resulting in serious or significant bodily injury can be charged with a second-degree crime. The bill will also allow New Jersey prosecutors to charge out-of-state traffickers, who supply around 80% of guns used for crimes in the state, for the carnage their actions cause in New Jersey. In addition, in Camden City alone more than 93% of all guns that are recovered by police come from out of state.

Gov. Murphy has shown once again that he and his administration are committed to stamping out gun crime in the state of New Jersey. I applaud him and every elected official that had a hand in bringing this landmark piece of legislation to fruition. Guns have caused an astronomical amount of chaos in this country, but here in New Jersey, we are prioritizing the safety of our residents and visitors. We have enacted some of the strictest gun laws in the nation and its proving to work; New Jersey has ranked third in the country for the lowest amount of gun violence. And this newest law will only help us in our mission of eradicating senseless violence and deaths caused by guns and keeping criminals accountable to the full extent of the law.”