Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman ANNETTE QUIJANO

District 20 (Union)

Assemblyman JOSEPH CRYAN

District 20 (Union)

Assemblyman JASON O'DONNELL

District 31 (Hudson)

Assemblyman CHARLES MAINOR

District 31 (Hudson)

Assemblyman JOHN F. MCKEON

District 27 (Essex and Morris)

Assemblyman JON M. BRAMNICK

District 21 (Morris, Somerset and Union)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblyman Eustace, Assemblywoman Wagner and Assemblyman Gusciora

SYNOPSIS

Expresses support for Attorney General's gun buyback program.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

As reported by the Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee on February 14, 2013, with amendments.

An Assembly Resolution expressing support for the gun buyback program established by the Attorney General.

Whereas, Gun buyback programs allow citizens to turn in handguns and other weapons, usually for a reward and without fear of prosecution; and

Whereas, Gun buyback programs held in this State have been proven successful in reducing the number of weapons on the street, particularly in cities plagued by gun violence; and

Whereas, Often funded by forfeiture funds collected by State and county law enforcement agencies, including money seized from drug dealers, gun buyback programs have no direct cost to taxpayers; and

Whereas, The Attorney General, in conjunction with the Camden County Prosecutor's Office and the Camden Police Department, held a two-day gun buyback program in Camden on December 14 and 15, 2012 that netted 1,137 weapons ¹[, possibly setting a record for gun buyback programs in this State]¹ ; and

Whereas, Deadly weapons collected during the December Camden gun buy back program consisted of handguns, rifles, semi-automatic weapons, and revolvers, all of which will be melted down and re-fabricated into other products instead of being used by gang members and others to kill people and commit other crimes; and

Whereas, The Attorney General ¹[has scheduled] held¹ a two-day gun buyback program in Trenton, coined the "Trenton-Mercer Gun Amnesty Program," on January 25 and 26, 2013, offering ¹up to¹ $250 per gun ¹, that netted over 2,600 firearms and an anti-tank rocket launcher and possibly set a record for gun buyback programs in this State¹; and

Whereas, It is altogether fitting and proper for the General Assembly to express its support for gun buyback programs established by the Attorney General of this State and ¹[encourages] to encourage¹ more of these programs to be held throughout the State; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. The General Assembly expresses support for gun buyback programs established by the Attorney General of this State and encourages more of these programs to be held throughout the State.

2. Duly authenticated copies of this Assembly Resolution, signed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and attested by the Clerk of the General Assembly, shall be transmitted to the Governor and the Attorney General.