STATEWIDE GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION ORGANIZATION POINTS TO INFLUX OF ILLEGAL GUNS AS CAUSE OF RISE IN VIOLENT CRIME
Ceasefire NJ Says: ‘It’s About the Guns - Illegal Guns’ in Response to FBI Report Detailing Increase in Violent Crime in NJ Cities
Trenton: According to a national report on violent crime issued yesterday by the FBI, murders, rapes, robberies and other violent crimes rose in the majority of New Jersey's six largest cities in 2005. Four of the state’s six largest cities (Jersey City, Paterson, Edison and Elizabeth) witnessed increases in violent crimes last year. Newark, which experienced an overall decline in violent crime, endured a major increase in homicides, nearly all committed with handguns, from 84 murders in 2004 to 97 last year. Jersey City suffered the greatest increase, with its homicide rate having gone up by 65 percent from the previous year.
Bryan Miller, Executive Director of Ceasefire NJ, the statewide coalition of groups and individuals devoted to reducing gun violence, said: “Sad to say, these increases in violent crime are no surprise to us. We have watched with alarm as the gun lobby has succeeded in gaining the acquiescence of the Bush Administration and US Congressional leadership in its program of protecting the gun industry from regulation and scrutiny. Out-of-state illegal gun trafficking networks have, therefore, grown in size and efficiency, the influx of illegal guns from other states has increased dramatically and illegal guns have become increasingly available on our state’s streets. Heightened violence in New Jersey’s communities is the obvious and logical result.”
“It’s about the guns – illegal guns,” said Miller.
Miller’s comments were reflected in news reports by other experts, who pointed to the increasing availability of guns as a cause of the growth of violent crime. Michael Wagers, Executive Director of the Police Institute at Rutgers-Newark, said: "Nine out of 10 homicides in Newark were committed with a gun, compared with the national average of 6 or 7 homicides. It's alarming to see a number of cities in New Jersey see an uptick in violent crime.”
Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) data makes clear that the Garden State suffers horribly from guns exported here from states with weak gun laws. Out-of-state guns account for the vast bulk of recovered crime guns in Newark, Jersey City and Camden, according to ATF statistics, which also show a dramatic growth in crime guns coming from the neighboring state of Pennsylvania.
Miller said: “Incredibly weak gun laws in many other states trump our state’s strong gun laws, resulting in an influx of illegal guns that end up in crime. The laws in states like Pennsylvania not only enable the menacing interstate trafficking of illegal guns, they encourage it, much as municipalities encourage business growth through tax and zoning exemptions. Unfortunately, pro-gun policies and laws in other states have resulted in death and destruction in ours. We call on our public officials to prevail upon their colleagues in other states to strengthen their gun laws, in order to save lives here and in their own jurisdictions.
