New Jersey Lawmakers to Consider Seven-Bill Gun-Control Package

(Bloomberg) -- New Jersey’s Democratic-controlled Assembly is moving forward with plans to toughen the state’s gun-safety laws in the wake of the Feb. 14 shooting at a Florida high school that killed 17 people.

The Assembly Judiciary Committee will consider seven bills on Feb. 28 that would approve personalized handguns, which have technology that allow use only by owners; require firearms to be seized when a mental-health professional determines the owner poses a threat; and authorize restraining orders and seizure warrants for gun violence.

Other measures would require background checks for private gun sales; codify justifiable need for concealed carry permits; prohibit the possession of ammunition capable of penetrating body armor; and reduce the maximum capacity of ammunition magazines.

“We’re going to have a respectful discussion about gun safety focused on common-sense solutions that respect the rights of law-abiding citizens,” Assemblywoman Annette Quijano, the committee chairwoman and a Democrat from Elizabeth, said in a statement.

Some of the bills passed the legislature in previous years but were vetoed by Republican Governor Chris Christie, who left office on Jan. 16. His successor, Democrat Phil Murphy, has pledged to enact stronger gun policies.

To contact the reporter on this story: Stacie Sherman in Trenton at sbabula@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Michael Shepard at mshepard7@bloomberg.net, William Selway

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