As lawmakers in Trenton annually wrestle with whopping budget deficits and struggle to adequately fund roads, bridges, schools and pensions, anti-gun lawmakers have set their sights on more of your hard-earned tax dollars to finance their own political agenda. On Thursday, May 18, the Senate Higher Education Committee is scheduled to have a hearing on S.2830, sponsored by Sen. Fred Madden, at 10:00 a.m. This legislation would create a “firearms violence research center” at Rutgers to study gun violence as a “public health issue.” By misrepresenting the issue, they seem determined to ignore the drug and gang violence at the root of the problem.
On one hand, this bill claims firearm deaths have remained constant over the last ten years and raises the question why a taxpayer funded research center is necessary in the first place. However, even if you accept their vague and slanted statistics, this is an incredible admission that the harsh gun control laws in New Jersey have done nothing to improve public safety.
Clearly, New Jersey’s out-of-touch, anti-gun lawmakers do not understand the real issues facing the state. New Jersey has some of the highest taxes in the country and now these elected officials are calling for more tax dollars to desperately try to justify their failed gun control laws which, by their own admission, have not made a dent in gun violence.
Please contact members of the Senate Higher Education Committee and respectfully ask them to oppose S.2830.