Gov. Phil Murphy did not hold back about those he holds responsible for the mass shootings that plagued the U.S. the past weekend.
“Cue the expected and pitiful expressions of ‘thoughts and prayers’ from those held so powerfully in the grip of the gun lobby,” said Murphy in Hackensack May 16 to announce new federal investment for New Jersey first responders along with Rep. Josh Gottheimer.
Murphy aimed his ire at those he sees as political profiting from extremist talking points.
Fatal Weekend
“As it pertains to Buffalo, cue the hurried backpedaling from the right-wing talking heads and politicians who have so freely and openly peddled the garbage “replacement conspiracy”—I can’t bring myself to call it a theory— and who can’t possibly believe that the words they’ve poisoned our airwaves and rotted our civic dialogue with could actually come home to roost,” he said.
“I think every single one of them knows where they can shove their ‘thoughts and prayers’.”
Murphy described the Buffalo shooter as being “pumped full of racist and nationalist conspiracies.”
The governors comments come in the wake of a weekend that saw more than 20 people shot in Milwaukee, WI, where basketball fans were gathered outside an arena for the NBA playoffs; one killed and five wounded at a church in Laguna Woods, CA; two dead and three wounded at a flea market in Houston; and in Buffalo, New York, where an 18-year-old White supremacist targeted Black residents doing nothing more than shopping for their groceries, shooting 13 and killing 10.
New Jersey Gun Legislation
A leading advocate for gun safety legislation, Murphy last month offered his latest round of gun safety bills he wants considered include requiring completion of a firearm safety course to receive a permit to purchase a gun or receive a firearm ID card; gun owners would be required to store guns in a lockbox or gun safe; banning .50 Caliber Firearms; and establish an electronic mmmunition sales recordkeeping.
“Here in New Jersey, where I am proud of the stands we’ve made for gun safety, I call again on the Legislature to pass our Gun Safety 3.0 package of legislation to not only make it harder for guns to fall into the wrong hands but to give law enforcement greater tools to protect communities,” he said.
Putting Gun Control on the Ballot
But the Democratic governor in the first year of his second term pushed that it is past time for outrage and action from the federal government.
“We can prevent it at the ballot box by electing candidates at every level—but especially the House and Senate—firmly committed to commonsense gun safety,” he said. “This is the time to say where you stand. There can be no safe place for any candidate or any elected official seeking wiggle room on guns to hide.”
“Again, it is well past time for Congress to step up and pass real nationwide gun safety legislation,We can prevent it. We can prevent by committing to passing strong laws.”
Stop Reliving Onion Headline
Murphy was forceful in his address that the U.S. continues to relive the satire headline of The Onion, ‘No Way To Prevent This, Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens,’ he finds unacceptable.
“Wiggle room is how we end up with 16 dead Americans in one fitful weekend—more than half of whom were targeted just because they were Black,” he said. “This is another mournful week in America.”
“How many more people have to senselessly die before we wake up? How many more have to senselessly die before we come to our senses?”
To all the second amendment people, you can have all the guns you want.
But ammo will be $10 a bullet. That will solve the ammo stockpiling issue.
Require liability insurance for all gun owners!
So as Democrats push to defund the police, governors like Murphy push hard to disarm the law-abiding populace. Good thinking, Phil.
BTW, it is now being reported that the Buffalo shooter is an environmental wacko and an anti-Semite, who hates Fox News and is paranoid about Covid; sounds like a typical Leftist to me. But then, hacks like Murphy are happy to rewrite the narrative to fit their political agendas.
Murphy is a clueless vindictive ignorant clown. Ive owned firearms since i was 13 years old. Im 55 now. I have veterans in my family. I lives most of my life in NJ.
Gun ownership has NOTHING to do with what happened in Buffalo
The reason things like that keep happening are because of the Democrats and progressive hateful bigoted race baiting rhetoric. It keeps happening because of the Democrats and progressives destructive and anti-civilizational economic programs that are creating incredible economic and social stress on people. It’s happening because the Democrats and progressives are complete failures trying to make a better life for people and since they only care about power they will use every tactic at their disposal to make people hate each other so that they can gain more power. And when people hate each other they often act out in violent ways just the way this sick kid in Buffalo did
The reason we had this mass shooting is because of ideologies that Mr. Murphy follows. Mr. Murphy is too clueless, self-centered and narcissistic to understand any perspective other than what he thinks is true.
Another day, another shooting, some more egregious than others. And gradually we become inured to it. And people like commenters Dirk and James, who will blame Democrats for anything they don’t like (usually wrongly), pile on.
Sorry, you guys; that not-so-satirical Onion headline is right: “‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens.” This is not a Democratic problem and it’s more than a Republican problem; it’s an American one. Governor Murphy is absolutely right when he asks: “How many more people have to senselessly die before we wake up? How many more have to senselessly die before we come to our senses?”
Some commenters (GOP) really ought to shut their mouths and have their guns taken from them permanently when it comes to your “right” to own them . How you can support GUN VIOLENCE and RACISM is beyond me. And don’t call Gov. Murphy names for doing the RIGHT THING. He is not asking you to give up your precious instrument of violence, but asking for safety and accountability.
Nicely said and and completely agree.
You think Dems are the reason for gun violence? Hahaha haha! Look in the mirror.
Just another ***hole politician pushing the race card to keep his job. “Divide and conquer”