New Jersey § 52:17b-242

§ 52:17b-242.

The Legislature finds and declares that: a. In New Jersey, community violence is a public health crisis that disproportionately

impacts underserved communities of color and firearm violence specifically is a major

component of that violence; b. Each year, New Jersey suffers more than 1,000 interpersonal shootings and, in 2016,

African American and Latino men constituted 90 percent of the total firearm homicide

victims in the State; c. A few New Jersey cities suffer the vast majority of homicides in this State, most

of which are committed with a firearm, and in 2015, more than half of the State's

total homicides occurred in the cities of Camden, Jersey City, Newark, Paterson, and

Trenton; d. This violence results in enormous trauma, lifelong health impairments, immeasurable

human suffering, and significant economic costs; e. The direct costs of firearm violence in New Jersey are over $1.2 billion per year

including healthcare expenses, law enforcement and criminal justice expenses, costs

to employers, and lost income, and when reduced quality of life attributable to pain

and suffering is considered, the overall economic cost of firearm violence is $3.3

billion per year; f. The vast majority of victims and perpetrators of violence are young men of color

who are at heightened risk for exposure to violence because of a number of risk factors,

including lack of educational and economic opportunity, unaddressed mental health

needs, substance use disorder issues, unstable housing situations, and previous exposure to violence; g. Research indicates that in most cities in the United States less than a half percent

of a given city's population is responsible for the vast majority of violence , and that effectively intervening with this high risk population is essential to addressing

and preventing interpersonal violence; h. Historically, community-based violence intervention strategies have demonstrated

remarkable success at reducing shootings and other incidents involving the use of

firearms in heavily impacted communities , and , when properly implemented and consistently funded, these programs produce impressive

life-saving and cost-saving results in a short period of time; i. Large reductions in violence have been seen in cities that centrally coordinate

multiple violence reduction strategies, including New York City; and j. Providing consistent funding and support to the evidence-based violence reduction

initiatives is an essential part of New Jersey's comprehensive response to interpersonal

firearm violence , and given the extremely high cost of firearm violence, public investment in these

solutions is very likely to generate significant savings for New Jersey taxpayers.