Murphy signs order requiring gun vendors to follow public safety principles

Gov. Phil Murphy has signed an executive order requiring gun vendors that the state buys from to follow public safety principles.
The principles outlined include policies to prevent the transfer of firearms to straw purchasers or traffickers.
“So, this would be a manufacturer or retailer who adheres to principles, such as universal background checks, not selling weapons or ammunition to persons who should not have the ability to buy them,” Murphy said.
The governor signed the order Tuesday in Morristown alongside gun control advocates and the superintendent of state police, who supported the order. The state has an estimated $70 million in guns and ammunition deals as part of law enforcement related work.
The measure also calls for the Department of Banking and Insurance to prohibit or limit insurance products that "encourage the improper use of firearms."
“And I hope that this will affect the financial institutions by making them step back and think about what are their values,” says Karen Kanter with the gun reform group, Brady New Jersey.
Rev. Joshua Rodriguez, of Jersey City, says gun crimes have caused too much pain right outside his church doors.
“Our kids were afraid to go home because a young kid had been shot and killed just a couple yards from our building on a Tuesday evening,” he says.
New Jersey has enacted a number of measures aimed at reducing gun violence under Murphy, including a bill capping magazines at 10 rounds, down from 15.
Meanwhile, Sen. Cory Booker introduced a gun safety bill Tuesday that requires gun owners to get a federal gun license every five years, as well as passing a gun safety course. Owners would also have to get a criminal background check, provide fingerprints and register the make, model and serial number of their guns.
"My bill is based on a simple idea: If you need a license to drive a car, you should need a license to buy and possess a gun,” Booker, a Democratic candidate for president, said in a statement.
The Associated Press wire services contributed to this report.