UU FA Office

This article was written by former Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Chair Jeannine Clayton-Coyne. Imagine a bill with the promise of significantly fewer firearm suicides (currently 40% of NJ firearm fatalities) and accidental gun injuries and fatalities.  NJ Bill S 2240, Safe Storage of Firearms is that bill.  Could the recommended penalties for non-compliance address racial disparities endemic to the NJ justice system?  A subcommittee of the GVP Task Force took on this challenge.  

This fall at the NJ FaithAction Issues Conference, Bill A3696, the NJ Assembly version of the Safe Storage of Firearms Bill was discussed.  Some participants voiced concerns about the impact of the 4^th degree crime penalty on the African American Community.  The UU FaithAction Gun Violence Prevention Task Force felt compelled to address these concerns.  A subcommittee of the task force was formed for this purpose.  This included Rob Gregson, Jeannine Clayton Coyne, Kathy Allen Roth and Helen Ewan.

The subcommittee engaged in much discussion, soul searching and research.  It consulted with African American GVP activists and leaders.  This resulted in a modified penalty structure.  The subcommittee moved from supporting a penalty of 4^th degree crime for all infractions to a 3-tiered penalty. The new structure ranged from community service for a first offense without injury to 4^th degree crime for offenses resulting in an injury or fatality.

Next, Rob Gregson and Jeannine Clayton Coyne met with other GVP groups, including the Coalition for Peace Action, Brady and the Lutheran Episcopal Advocacy Ministry.  Within a couple of meetings, this coalition agreed to adopt the penalties recommended by the NJ UU GVP subcommittee. 

On November 12^th, this coalition, plus a representative from the Princeton Jewish Center, met with Senator Linda Greenstein.  Senator Greenstein is the Chair of the Law and Public Safety Committee.  The coalition of eight members made their case to a fully engaged Senator.  Senator Greenstein asked a number of questions.  By the meeting’s end, Senator Greenstein committed to support the bill with recommended amendments and the penalties that were modified from the current NJ Assembly bill.  The goal is to get this bill passed into law by the end of this legislative session, January 13, 2020. 

 The UU Gun Violence Prevention Task Force anticipates strong opposition from a subset of the Second Amendment advocates.  Strong support by all NJ UUs will be needed, both through written advocacy, as well as attendance at the NJ Senate hearing.  To date, only one state, Massachusetts, has a Safe Storage of Firearms Bill.  Let’s join together to demonstrate that NJ leads the nation in gun safety!