"Together, this package seeks to protect our communities, protect our children, protect our witnesses and give the law enforcement community additional tools to crack down on some of this," Watson Coleman said. "This is a triage package, it is responding to the crisis we're experiencing not just in our urban centers, but across the state of New Jersey."
Among other things, the measures would:
-- Increase penalties for possession of assault weapons, and for giving guns to minors.
-- Regulate the sale of ammunition.
-- Require gun violence prevention seminars for elementary schoolers.
-- Add gang-crime information to Uniform Crime Report.
-- Bar disclosure of addresses or other personal data of grand jury witnesses.
The bills now head to the Senate Law, Public Safety and Veterans Affairs Committee for consideration. The committee chairman, Sen. John Girgenti, has long had an interest in curbing the pervasive influence of gangs in communities and prisons.
The measures had bipartisan support in the Assembly, although the support was not unanimous.
For example, the bill regulating the sale of ammunition drew concern from Republican Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose, R-Sussex, who said the measure amounted to an attack on legal owners.
"It's unfortunate we are spending time passing bills like this when the criminals don't regard any of these laws," she said.
Other Republicans complained that a bill increasing the penalty for certain firearms violations includes BB guns.
The Republicans' attempts to amend the bills failed, but Watson Coleman said the Senate could consider some of her colleagues' suggestions when it takes up the package.
The Attorney General's Office and the New Jersey League of Municipalities both expressed support for the legislation.
Attorney General Zulima Farber said the bills would provide law enforcement officers with additional tools in the war on gangs.
"We need to aggressively fight back against ruthless gangs who traffic in guns and drugs, terrorizing neighborhoods, and putting the lives of innocent bystanders at risk," Farber said.
Bill Dressel, executive director of the League of Municipalities, called the bills "the first significant step in dealing with the gang and youth violence problem that plagues our municipalities."
