Johnson & Eustace Bill Criminalizing Possession of Ammunition for Convicted Criminals Approved by Assembly

(TRENTON) – Legislation sponsored by Assembly Democrats Gordon M. Johnson and Tim Eustace that would make it illegal for convicted criminals in the state to purchase, own or otherwise possess ammunition was approved 74-0-1 Thursday by the Assembly as part of the Assembly Democratic gun violence prevention intiative.

“There has been an explosion of gun violence in our country in recent months, shattering lives from Aurora to Old Bridge to Newtown and leaving everyone wondering what we can do to prevent the next tragedy before it happens,” said Johnson (D-Bergen).  “A simple way to approach this problem is to regulate the very thing that makes guns so dangerous – their ammunition.”

Under the bill (A-1683) it would be illegal for certain convicted criminals to purchase, own or otherwise possess ammunition.  Anyone convicted of the following crimes would be restricted from possessing ammunition: aggravated assault; arson; burglary; extortion; homicide; kidnapping; robbery; aggravated sexual assault; sexual assault; bias intimidation; endangering the welfare of a child; stalking; any crime involving domestic violence; any crime involving drug trafficking; any crime involving gun trafficking; disarming a law enforcement officer; carjacking; human trafficking; racketeering; chemical, biological or nuclear weapons trafficking; and terrorism.  Violators would face penalties up to 18 months in prison and fines of up to $10,000 or both.

“We can’t stop the flow of guns into New Jersey from outside our borders without help from our neighboring states or the federal government,” said Eustace (D-Bergen/Passaic). “However, by cracking down on ammunition sales, we can make it much harder for criminals to obtain the very thing that makes their weapons so deadly.”

The bill now goes to the Senate for more consideration.