---

At Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr Middle School in Asbury Park, where district officials have made strides to ‘Build a Brighter Future’ for its students, Gov Phil Murphy Friday signed an executive order that aims to stay gun violence across the state.

“It is appropriate, this week of all weeks, to be in a school named after the Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr,” Murphy said in opening up his remarks before a group of community stakeholders, neighboring mayors and council members, and state and local members of the press. “It’s extraordinary, not just the 50 years that have past, but the struggles that he led…and here we are 50 years later in many of the same struggles; so it’s in his honor that we march on.”

Despite a dramatic reduction in gun violence cases in the 1.4 square mile city in the past few years, the city is still plagued by inexplicable incidents. Just six weeks ago the school district lost a 10 year-old boy at the hands of two teens from a neighboring town who fired multiple gunshots into his Ridge Avenue; and this past weekend five young men were rushed to an area hospital as the result of a drive by shooting. 

Murphy was joined by Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal, State Police Superintendent Col. Patrick Callahan, and Acting Education Commissioner Dr. Lamont Repollet, and introduced by 14-year-old Jaione’ Murray, an 8th grade student at middle school in Asbury Park.

“I love growing up in Asbury Park,” the honor student said. “But the truth is, is that it is not that easy. Gun violence has taken the lives of my cousin, a family friend, and I worry that one day it could take mine. We see it on the news and we see it happening too often across the nation; students like me have to take cover under desks. We have to take time to stop learning to participate in active shooter drills. Education is a gateway; it sets us on path to a better future, towards better opportunities. But how can I focus in class if I have to worry about a potential shooter. I am 14 years old, I want to play softball with my friends. I want to walk through my neighborhood safely. I want to be able to live the normal life of a 14-year-old but, in our world today, the definition of normal seems to have changed…”

Callahan in addressing Jaione’ said, “It was somewhat disheartening as a father and public official to stand hear and listen to the concerns and fears of a 14-year-old. My greatest concern [at that age] was if I forgot my gym clothes..but yours is a legitimate one and a real one.”

Murphy who reiterated his pledge to do everything to support the community, said having a 14-year-old at home, this too was a very real struggle for him.

“I think I’m joined by the adults up here when I say that the next generation is going to get done, as it relates to guns, what we have failed to get done, particularly in congress and nationally,” Murphy said. “This is a city on the rise and I want to repeat that I want to be your partner to see it safe and prospering for all residents, particularly our youngest residents.”

Murphy’s executive order allows for a new tool that will allow residents to see the impact of gun violence. For the first time records of gun crime incidents by municipality, complete with the type of gun used, and the type of crime committed will be made available on a monthly basis by the Dept. of Law & Public Safety and and New Jersey State Police websites.

“As painful as that may be, we are going to shine a light on the data, at long last,” Murphy said. “Asbury Park is a community, I need not say this, that has lived with the impacts of gun violence…No one should be lulled into a false sense that gun crimes are some other town’s problems or that illegal guns don’t impact their community. We are doing this today for our residents and leaders to have a fuller understanding of the impact of gun violence on their own communities and the effect of firearms trafficking into New Jersey.”

There will be quarterly analysis reports that tracks exactly where those guns used in a crime are coming from – state by state.

“I’ll tell you right now, if it means naming and shaming, that is exactly what we are going to do,” Murphy said.

While New Jersey is among the states with the toughest gun laws, Grewal said more than 80 percent of the guns used in crimes committed in New Jersey come from outside the state. He referred to the February grand jury indictment in Camden charging seven defendants with first-degree racketeering in connection with a ring that was importing black market guns – including assault rifles – purchased in Ohio.

“We are doing everything in our power to combat the scourge of gun violence and we hope our reports lead other states to do the same,” Grewal said. “Everyone in this state has a right to know how common gun violence is.”

Callahan, who said there is a misconception that there are truckloads of guns being brought into the state. Instead he said they are being done by straw purchases – meaning two or three at a time.

“Everyone knows the ripple effect and the tragedy of just one handgun, whether it is a six shooter, a .38 special revolver, or an AK 47; one life from one round – it’s tragic,” he said.

He said the aforementioned gun ring was stopped by a West Virginia state trooper who called back to one their detectives blew the case wide open.

Education Commissioner Dr. Lamont Repollet thanked the governor for giving his former school district the platform to address the issue and to showcase the ‘phenomenal students we have in our district.’

Jaione’ is among a handful of students who are slated to participate in a Princeton University summer education program.

“The issue of gun violence has been integral to so many school security situations,” Repollet said. “It has posed a real threat to our students’ ability to feel safe at school and her story was an example. Gun violence and school safety are not partisan or political problems. Regardless of party, race, or creed, the senseless vicious deaths brought by guns brings us together in anger and morning. The strength, courage and wisdom shown by young leaders throughout the country has inspired us all and brought us together in advocacy and action. It is imperative that we listen to our student leaders and empower them to inform decisions made with regard to their safety.”

Repollet is among a national task force of State Commissioners who will attend a Safety Academy in Indiana next month to address school preparedness and emergency planning. He is co chair of the School Security Subcommittee for the state’s Dept of Homeland Security and Preparedness.   

He said they are encouraged by Murphy’s pledge to provide $66 million in school safety funds for the 2019 fiscal budget.

“It will allow school districts to develop and enhance new and current security strategies,” he said. “President John F Kennedy stated there are risks and costs to action but they are farless than the long range risk of comfortable in action.

It was not lost on Murphy that Repollet chose to cite a quote from a president who died at the hands of gun violence, as Dr. King did two months prior.  

Murphy said there are two disturbing facts that drove the executive order – the fact that there were 485 gun deaths in New Jersey in 2016 and the over 80 percent of gun coming from states with many of them coming from states with weaker gun laws.

“This is a step in the right direction to make sure everyone knows what the facts are,” Murphy said. “Because of our current gun laws, we have one of the nation’s lowest mortality rates but that should not give us any measure of solace. Our goal must be to get that number to zero.”

In February, Murphy joined New York Gov Andrew Cuomo, Connecticut Gov Dan Malloy, and Rhode Island Gov Gina Raimondo in forming the States for Gun Safety coalition, with a mission of tackling the epidemic of gun violence – including stopping the flow of black market guns, more efficiently sharing information among law enforcement on individuals who may pose a violent threat, funding research on gun violence, and working on parallel tracks on gun safety legislation. They have since been joined by Rep Gov Charlie Baker Massachusetts, Gov John Carney of Delaware, and Puerto Rico’s Ricardo Antonio Rosselló Nevares.

“We have to start looking at crime and terrorism regionally,” Callahan said. “That is what this multi state gun safety initiative is about. The data shows that sometimes a gun is used in Newark, two later that same gun is in Trenton, and three weeks later it’s in Plainfield; and that’s a reality for us. That we need to be really in tune with those community guns on top of the ones that are coming from other states across the country.”  

In the end Murphy said the new reports will begin in May; and commended Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling and Assemblywoman Joann Downey [D-11] for their work to push legislation forward.

Asbury Park’s community of stakeholder, many of them who work directly with the city’s youth were all in attendance. They included members of the School District’s administration and Board of Education, the Asbury Park Mayor and City Council, Garden State Equality, the Boys and Girls Club of Monmouth County, Interfaith Neighbors, Lakehouse Music Academy, and Coastal Habitat for Humanity. Also in attendance were Ocean Township Mayor Christopher Siciliano,  Neptune Township Committeeman Kevin McMillan, and member of Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense in America.

“I think the transparency is a wonderful tool to protect this state from out of state illegal guns,” said Brett Aabo, Moms Demand Action state chapter leader. “It’s a wonderful tool to raise awareness within the state because everyone thinks that gun violence happens somewhere else, not in their neighborhood. Once people are aware then they can get more active. They can get more active at the polls and be aware of who they are voting for, and they will be more aware of their surroundings. It’s good progress, especially with federal legislation coming up with conceal carry reciprocity. Having this kind of transparency is really important.”

————————————————————————————————————————–

Follow the Asbury Park Sun on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Asbury Park Sun is affiliated with the triCityNews newspaper.

---