NJ Dems Condemn GOP Obstruction on Gun Violence in Wake of Another Mass Shooting

Chairman Jones: ‘When will Enough by Enough for Republicans to Act?’

TRENTON, NJ – In the wake of yet another mass shooting at an elementary school in Texas that left at least 19 children and 2 teachers dead, and coming on the heels of the deadly shooting in Buffalo where ten Black patrons of a supermarket were gunned down by a white supremacist, the New Jersey Democratic State Committee is releasing the following statement..

“Once again, we are mourning the deaths of innocent children and adults because our Republican legislators believe that guns are more valuable than people. Instead of coming together to address these highly preventable deaths, the Republican Party can only offer ‘thoughts and prayers’ to the devastated families and an exhausted nation today,” said Chairman Jones. “Make no mistake – these deaths are the result of a Republican Party that remains beholden to the NRA and the gun industry. Despite a majority of Americans supporting stricter gun laws, the Republican Party continues to pander to the gun lobby in return for campaign cash. And while they dance to the NRA’s tune, mass shootings continue to be carried out with the exact kind of assault weapon that no one has any business owning outside of a military or law enforcement role. The results are a savage, racist attack on a Buffalo supermarket that is at the center of the city’s Black community, followed in rapid succession by a shocking display of violence at an elementary school in Uvalde. And that’s just in May – we have had 213 mass shootings in 2022, 27 of those occurring in schools. When will enough be enough for Republicans to finally join Democrats and act to save the lives of our children and our people?”

Right now, New Jersey Republicans are trying to weaken the gun safety laws meant to keep New Jersey communities safe from gun violence. Newly introduced legislation would make it easier for people to have access to deadlier and more dangerous assault weapons and ammunition, requesting $1 million in taxpayer funds to create high school gun clubs, decriminalizing the sale of armor-piercing ammunition, eliminating gun magazine capacity limits and seeking several other extreme measures straight out of the NRA playbook.

“New Jersey Democrats have worked hard to enact strong gun safety laws designed to keep our communities safe, and after these latest horrifying mass shootings the very last thing we should do is make it easier for people to obtain dangerous assault weapons and ammunition,” said Chairman Jones. “The facts are that wherever we see stronger gun safety laws, we see fewer gun deaths. New Jersey Republicans’ repeated attempts to weaken laws that are working in New Jersey show us how little they actually care about keeping New Jerseyans safe. They want more guns on the street, which will only lead to more gun violence. They want NRA money and A ratings. We cannot allow that to happen in New Jersey.”

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