NEWTOWN, Conn. — The National Shooting Sports Foundation^® (NSSF^®), the trade association for the firearms industry, released the following statement on New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s executive order that threatens to end business relationships with firearms manufacturers and retailers if they don’t adopt vaguely defined business practices.

“Governor Murphy’s executive order is a broad and open invitation to discriminate against firearms manufacturers and retailers. It will do nothing to curb illegal gun sales and will only serve to punish licensed and law-abiding small businesses engaged in the lawful commerce of constitutionally protected products. Furthermore, trying to regulate by coercion interstate commerce outside of New Jersey is clearly an overreach of the governor’s power and authority.

If Governor Murphy wants to work on real solutions to make our communities safer, he needs to work with the firearms industry. We conceived the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) and our industry conducts an average of 38,000 new NICS checks daily. We know what works and what doesn’t, and we are continually working to improve and strengthen background checks.

The firearms industry also works with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to prevent straw purchases of firearms through our Don’t Lie for the Other Guy^TM campaign. No one wants to stop the criminal misuse of firearms and ensure they stay out of the hands of criminals more than our industry.  We also partner with ATF in Operation Secure Store to provide retailers with education and resources to secure their inventory from theft.

Governor Murphy wrongly sees member of the firearms retailers as contributing to the criminal misuse of firearms when in reality they are on the front lines of helping to prevent firearms from falling into the wrong hands. They are part of the solution. Our industry stands ready and willing to work with Governor Murphy on real solutions, but our industry does not deserve to be vilified, threatened and discriminated against through meaningless regulations being proposed strictly for political motivations.”

The National Shooting Sports Foundation is made up of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers nationwide. They trade association for the firearms industry.