A 485 New Jersey General Assembly · 2026-2027 Regular Session

Requires public safety risk assessment to include additional consideration for firearms as public safety risk.

This bill amends New Jersey's pretrial risk assessment tool (PSA) to require courts to explicitly consider firearms as a public safety risk. It directly affects defendants charged with firearm offenses by changing how courts evaluate their risk level during pretrial hearings. The key provision adds firearm-related factors to the PSA's assessment criteria, ensuring cases involving firearms - especially modified weapons or "ghost guns" - are properly weighted as violent risks. This change responds to a 2024 report highlighting gaps in how current assessments handle firearm dangers. The bill does not alter sentencing or create new penalties but adjusts the risk evaluation process used by courts.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Last action Jan 13, 2026
Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
1
Key actions
0
Committee
0
Jan 13, 2026
Introduced
Introduced, Referred to Assembly Public Safety and Preparedness Committee
lower
3 primary · 1 co-sponsor

Sponsors