The board of commissioners said on Monday that a new “Anti-Gun Violence Committee” is being established in Essex County.
The committee, which will be led by Commissioner At-Large Brendan Gill, intends to meet with neighborhood advocacy organizations, legislators, and other stakeholders in an effort to “bring forth initiatives that will make a tangible difference with respect to the safety of residents and communities throughout the county.”
According to a news release from the board, that could include:
- “increasing community outreach”
- “conveying the importance of common-sense gun legislation”
- “introduction of impactful legislation at the county level”
The committee will be created by a resolution that will be put to a vote at the upcoming meeting of the Essex County Commissioner Board on September 14.
Wayne Richardson, the commissioner’s president, expressed his enthusiasm for the new committee.
It will be worthwhile if we can use county resources to save just one life, according to Richardson. “My hope is that we can save several lives and set an example for other county agencies to follow. To rescue our towns and do our best to prevent needless deaths, we must band together.”
According to Gill, gun violence is nothing new in Essex County.
Even though there have been more major shootings nationwide, Gill noted that there has been an uptick in local gun violence for many years. “Despite recent federal and state legislation aimed at reducing gun violence, we must continue to aggressively combat this public health crisis and diligently work to enact common sense gun safety measures at the local level in an effort to keep our communities safe and save as many lives as possible,” the president said.
