New NJ SAFE Report Calls for Safe Storage of Guns

A report commissioned by Gov. Christie to examine the root causes of gun violence and released Wednesday lists as one of its objective goals to "(P)romote the safe and secure storage of firearms to prevent unauthorized persons from accessing them."

Though the report, compiled by NJ SAFE Task Force in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting that claimed 26 lives in Newtown, CT in December, was intended to explore ways to prevent other mass shootings from occurring, it also examines measures that may have prevented the recent accidental shooting death of six-year-old Toms River boy Brandon Holt. 

According to the report, New Jersey already has some of the most strident gun laws in the nation, but the six-member bipartisan task force believes it can, and should, do better.

One of those ways is by increasing the penalty responsible gun owners face should they fail to take reasonable precautions to keep their firearms out of the hands of children.

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The complete report can be viewed as a PDF at right.

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Current New Jersey gun laws demand that a gun owner take precautions, like securing a firearm with a trigger lock or keeping it in a locked box, to keep their weapons out of the hands of minors. Should the gun owner fail to take such precautions, they face a disorderly persons offense, under current state law.

The task force indicates in its report that it believes the offense would have a greater deterrent impact if it were upgraded to a fourth-degree crime.

In a report that examines the influences of media and mental health in shootings, so too does it demand responsibility from registered gun owners, even in the case of accidental shootings like the one that took Holt's life. 

If a gun owner is in violation of state law requiring them to secure their firearms and that violation has lead to injury or death, they should be subject to civil liability for damages, the report concludes, though it would be up to the State Legislature to make that determination.

According to Toms River police, Holt was shot Monday by a 4-year-old neighbor, though many details remain unknown. Police have not said from where in his home the 4-year-old obtained the .22-calibre rifle and are still unsure if he pulled the trigger or if the gun accidentally discharged. 

The case has been transferred to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office where it remains under investigation.

No charges have been filed as of yet.

Though details of the incident remain muddled, what is clear is that the shooting could have been prevented.

Christie commissioned the report as a way to understand the cause of gun crime as well as assess New Jersey's gun laws and compare them with gun regulations proposed at the federal level by President Barack Obama. 

The report was issued Wednesday following a request from Patch.

"While New Jersey has some of the strictest gun and licensing laws in the nation, which the governor supports, a wider view was necessary to not only evaluate gun control in the state, but to consider other elements that often intersect in instances of extreme gun violence," Christie Spokesman Michael Drewniak said in a release. "Governor Christie will review the report and its recommendations, as well as current legislative initiatives and provide his specific proposals in the next seven to 10 days."

Secure storage of firearms is just one of 50 recommendations made in the report that, according to task force Co-Chairs Peter G. Verniero and John J. Degnan are both "aspirational in their reach and practical in their implementation."