Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman NANCY F. MUOZ
District 21 (Middlesex, Morris, Somerset and Union)
Assemblywoman MICHELE MATSIKOUDIS
District 21 (Middlesex, Morris, Somerset and Union)
SYNOPSIS
Requires data on shootings not resulting in bodily injury to be reported by AG.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning firearm usage and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The prosecutor of each county shall collect, record, and report data to the Attorney General regarding a crime or, in the case of a juvenile, an act which if committed by an adult would constitute a crime, involving the use of a firearm as defined in subsection f. of N.J.S.2C:39-1 that did not result in bodily injury.
b. The prosecutor of each county shall provide information to the Attorney General regarding criminal complaints pursuant to subsection a. of this section, which shall include:
(1) the complaint number;
(2) the date and time of the incident;
(3) the location of the incident, including the county, municipality, and address;
(4) the statutory citation and degree of all offenses charged; and
(5) whether the defendant lawfully or unlawfully used the firearm subject to the charge.
The prosecutor of each county shall provide the information required in this subsection for criminal complaints, regardless of whether the case is prosecuted, dismissed, or downgraded.
2. The prosecutor of each county shall submit the information required by section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) to the Attorney General on a quarterly basis for a period of five years, starting on January 1 next following the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), in a manner prescribed by the Attorney General. In accordance with section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), the Attorney General shall submit a report of the information collected to the Governor and the Legislature at the conclusion of the five years. The report shall be posted on the Department of Law and Public Safety's website.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires each county prosecutor to provide to the Attorney General data regarding criminal complaints concerning crimes involving the use of a firearm that did not result in bodily injury. In addition, the bill requires each county prosecutor to report this data to the Attorney General on a quarterly basis for a period of five years, in a manner prescribed by the Attorney General. At the end of the five year period, the Attorney General is to submit a report to the Governor and to the Legislature and publish the report on the Internet website of the Department of Law and Public Safety.
This bill implements recommendation # 7 made in the report Illegal Firearms Use and Trends in New Jersey, issued in September 2024 by the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation (SCI).