AG Directive 2018-4, instructing all NJ law enforcement to participate in ATF’s eTrace data collection sharing system

TRENTON – This afternoon Acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck joined senior White House staff and seven state attorneys general for a virtual White House roundtable to discuss policies and strategies for holding gun manufacturers and dealers accountable for wrongful conduct that leads to firearms being used in gun crime.

Attendees included:

• Acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck, NJ
• Attorney General Rob Bonta, CA
• Attorney General William Tong, CT
• Attorney General Karl Racine, District of Columbia
• Attorney General Maura Healey, MA
• Attorney General Letitia James, NY
• Attorney General Josh Shapiro, PA
• Attorney General Bob Ferguson, WA
• Susan Rice, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council
• Dana Remus, White House Counsel
• Julie Rodriguez, White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Director

During the roundtable, Acting Attorney General Bruck emphasized that in the last quarter, 82% of guns used in crimes in New Jersey entered the state illegally, and he noted the value of state, regional, and federal cooperation strategies to reduce gun trafficking and gun violence. Acting AG Bruck further described New Jersey’s crime gun tracing, data collection, and information-sharing initiatives, which are unique in the U.S. Through AG Directive 2018-4, local New Jersey law enforcement are required to share all gun crime trace data with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ eTrace data collection system, which allows the NJ State Police to collect, analyze, and share data statewide about patterns in sources and types of guns used in crimes, as well as share information about unlawful purchases and firearms trafficking.

The Attorney General’s Office has filed multiple lawsuits against online retailers selling New Jersey residents products that are illegal in New Jersey, such as untraceable “ghost guns” and large capacity magazines. In these lawsuits, the Attorney General’s Office has held firearms companies to the same standards of conduct as other types of manufacturers and retailers, because no company is above the law.

In New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy and the Attorney General’s Office are leading a comprehensive, statewide effort to reduce gun deaths—one that pairs the latest evidence-based policing strategies with innovative, community-based prevention programs.

The approach is simple:

• Treat the root causes of violence.
• Keep guns away from those most likely to harm others.
• And take swift action against those who break the law.

Taken together, these efforts are making New Jersey a national model for tackling this public health crisis.

For more information about how NJ is combating gun violence, visit: https://www.njoag.gov/programs/combatting-gun-violence

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