SENATE LAW AND PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 1601

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: NOVEMBER 7, 1996

      The Senate Law and Public Safety Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 1601.

      This bill provides that a person who illegally sells or transfers a firearm to a person under the age of 18 shall be held legally accountable if that juvenile commits, or attempts to commit, a crime with that firearm.

      Under N.J.S.2C:39-10, a person who sells or transfers a firearm to a person under the age of 18 is guilty of a crime of the third degree and subject to a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of three years, during which he is ineligible for parole.