New Jersey Assembly Passes Package of Gun Safety Bills, Including Legislation to Ban Glock Switches

On the Heels of Republican Governor Kay Ivey Signing Bill to Ban Glock Switches, A4974 Would Make New Jersey the 26th State to Ban These Deadly Devices

TRENTON, N.J. – The New Jersey chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statements in response to the New Jersey Assembly’s passage of a bill (A4974) to prohibit machine gun conversion devices, including Glock switches, as part of a comprehensive gun safety package. Today’s progress follows advocacy from volunteers and gun violence survivors with the New Jersey chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action. These measures will now head to the New Jersey Senate. 

“Nobody should be able to create a DIY machine gun in their house with just a $25 Glock switch and a screwdriver. Finally, we’re one step closer to getting these deadly devices off of our streets,” said Benedicte Callan, a volunteer with the New Jersey chapter of Moms Demand Action. “We’re grateful to our lawmakers for taking decisive action not only on this bill, but on so many other gun safety measures. Together, they will save lives and continue to address this crisis head-on. Now, we’re calling on our Senators to finish the job: Pass these bills and get them to Governor Murphy’s desk.”

“When everyone from teenagers to law enforcement are being gunned down by handguns equipped with Glock switches, it’s time for us to do something. Today, our lawmakers took action by passing a measure to ban them,” said Aryana Tasharofi, a volunteer leader with the Union County New Jersey Students Demand Action group. “This comprehensive gun safety package will have real impacts on our communities by keeping our loved ones alive. That should always be the goal.” 

In addition to passing a measure that would prohibit machine gun conversion devices such as Glock switches (A4974), lawmakers also passed the following bills: 

• A prohibition on the possession of digital instructions to illegally manufacture firearms and firearm components (A4975);
• Legislation to increase protection for victims of domestic violence by also requiring respondents to surrender their ammunition, firearm accessories, and firearm components in their possession (A1389);
• Legislation to strengthen data reporting requirements regarding shootings that do not result in bodily injury (A4978);
• Legislation to require state agencies to thoroughly vet the firearms dealers they use to procure their firearms and ammunition to ensure the state does not do business with bad actors in the industry (A5346); and 
• Legislation to require issuers of credit and debit cards to create a new merchant category code for firearms dealers, which would help banks and financial institutions identify and report suspicious gun and ammunition purchasing activity to law enforcement (A5345). 

Today’s action comes just days after Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed legislation that bans Glock switches and other machine gun conversion devices, becoming the 25th state with such a prohibition. Last year, governors across the political spectrum in Maryland, Mississippi, and Virginia enacted prohibitions on Glock switches. 

Machine gun conversion devices, including Glock switches, are aftermarket devices that allow users to convert semi-automatic firearms into illegal fully automatic machine guns. These devices allow pistols to fire up to 1,200 rounds per minute, a rate as fast as, or faster than, many fully automatic firearms and machine guns used by the United States military. They have been turning up at crime scenes across the country and pose a particular threat to law enforcement officers. 

New Jersey currently ranks sixth in the country for the strength of its gun laws, and as a result, the Garden State has the fourth-lowest rate of gun deaths in the country. In an average year, 437 people die by guns and another 1,265 people are wounded. Gun violence costs New Jersey $5.3 billion each year, of which $168.9 million is paid by taxpayers. More information about gun violence in New Jersey can be found here.