DeFazio called Hudson County's gun violence a "scourge and a disgrace."
"There isn't a country in the civilized world that has this sort of gun violence," he said.
There have been 50 homicides in Hudson County this year, the highest total since 1989. Nearly half the homicides - 23 out of 50 - were shooting deaths, records show.
Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio blamed "the availability and access to hand guns, especially semiautomatic pistols.