The Moms Demand Action advocacy group on Wednesday rallied outside the Statehouse in Trenton to promote new restrictions on gun purchases and ownership in New Jersey.
Last year, the group helped pass a law threatening heavy fines and up to 20 years imprisonment if someone illegally traffics a gun that’s used to injure or kill another person. This year, Moms Demand Action is pushing for three bills, including one to raise the minimum age to purchase a gun from 18 years old to 21. A second bill would allow Medicaid funding to be used to benefit victims of gun violence, and the third would tighten requirements for a gun permit, including mandated training and shorter terms for renewal
“Everything is at stake, our children’s lives are at stake,” said Jeanne Stifelman, lead of the state chapter of Moms Demand Action. “So what are we going to do? We’re going to elect gun sense candidates.”
“Things will change. Things can change,” added state Assemblyman Herb Conaway (D-Burlington), who is also a candidate for Congress. “Your involvement in this critical issue is important.”
State Assemblywoman Garnet Hall (D-Essex) said the political pressure needs to be maintained. “I’m here to keep the faith,” she said. “We need each and every one of us to continue, continue, continue to show up. So I’ll take it to the streets if we have to.”
