New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (D) praised the details of the bipartisan framework from the Senate on the issue of gun control but noted this should be used to pursue even more aggressive restrictions.
In a statement on Sunday, Murphy said the framework is a great step "in restoring sanity to our national dialogue" on firearms and "while this agreement is only a narrow first step, it is recognition that the ability of the gun lobby to block any and all common sense gun safety laws by its mere presence is waning and reform is possible. The door has cracked open. We must open it wider."
New Jersey Governor: "The door has cracked open. We must open it wider." pic.twitter.com/rFy4nwu0mb
— Firearms Policy Coalition (@gunpolicy) June 13, 2022
Murphy reiterated his statement on his Twitter account, but notably left out the part where he wants even more gun control.
We know that more far-reaching steps are needed that are unlikely to happen in Washington anytime soon. It will remain up to the states to lead on gun safety – so I again call upon my legislative colleagues to put our Gun Safety 3.0 package up for a vote.
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) June 13, 2022
While full details have not been released about the bill, The New York Times reported it includes provisions such as "enhanced background checks to give authorities time to check the juvenile and mental health records of any prospective gun buyer under the age of 21" along with providing grants to states to enact red-flag laws that allow authorities to temporarily confiscate guns from people who are a threat to themselves or others.
A renewed push for gun control has been occurring in response to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two teachers were killed. There has been heavy criticism to the local police response to the shooter as he was able to carry out his attack for almost an hour despite officers being on the scene. Members of Border Patrol's BORTAC team were the ones who breached the room to kill the gunman.
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