Gun traffickers to now be held criminally liable for crimes committed with their weapons
Gov. Phil Murphy signed the legislation on Wednesday.
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Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation on Wednesday that would hold gun traffickers criminally liable for deaths and injuries if the weapon is used in a crime.
The “Real Accountability Consequences of Unlawful Trafficking of Firearms Act” is the first law of its kind in the United States. It also allows New Jersey prosecutors to charge out-of-state gun traffickers.
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“Far too many New Jerseyans live with the daily fear that people in their communities who cannot legally possess guns can illegally obtain firearms and cause great harm,” the governor wrote in a statement. “This bill allows us to hold those who illegally traffic those guns accountable for the harm that those weapons are used to cause.”
State officials say that 80% of the guns used in crimes in New Jersey come from out of state.
The bill passed unanimously through both houses of the state Legislature.
