N.J. Admin. Code § Executive Order No. 76 (2019)
Acting Governor Sheila Y. Oliver
Executive Order No. 76 (2019)
A Tribute to the Life and Passing of the Victims of Mass Shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio
Issued: August 5, 2019.
Effective: August 5, 2019.
WHEREAS, on August 3, 2019, 20 people were killed (with the death toll rising to 22 two days after the attack) and 26 people were injured in a Walmart and nearby parking lot in El Paso, Texas, in a horrific act of gun violence; and
WHEREAS, the gunman was heavily armed and entered the Walmart with an AK-47-style assault rifle and extra magazines and was apparently motivated to commit mass murder by white supremacist ideology, white nationalism, and his animus toward Mexican-Americans and immigrants; and
WHEREAS, reports indicate that the mass shooting in El Paso may be the deadliest hate crime against Latinos in United States history and is one of the worst mass shootings in United States history; and
WHEREAS, 12 hours later, in the early morning hours of August 4, 2019, 9 people were killed and 27 people were injured while outside of Ned Peppers Bar in the historic and popular Oregon District in Dayton, Ohio in another vile act of gun violence; and
WHEREAS, the gunman was heavily armed and fired on the victims with a .223-caliber high capacity rifle with 100-round drum magazines and has been described by news reports as a troubled man who harbored and articulated violent fantasies; and
WHEREAS, the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton are two of the three deadliest shootings in 2019; and
WHEREAS, a mass shooting is generally defined as an incident in which at least four people are shot, and by this standard, there have been 255 mass shootings in the United States as of August 5, 2019 -- more than the number of days this year; and
WHEREAS, New Jersey is one of the most diverse states in the nation and is strengthened by its diversity; and
WHEREAS, we unequivocally condemn white supremacy and white nationalism in the strongest possible terms; and
WHEREAS, we must continue to make every effort to ensure that those who seek to do irreparable harm cannot access firearms and weapons of war; and
WHEREAS, this administration is committed not only to mourning the victims and their families but also to doing everything we can both to prevent these senseless and heartbreaking mass shootings from happening in our state and to end the epidemic of gun violence that plagues far too many of our communities;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, SHEILA Y. OLIVER, Acting Governor of the State of New Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:
N.J. Admin. Code Executive Order No. 76 (2019)