TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey on Wednesday enacted a half-dozen new gun control laws, tightening its already strict statutes as advocates applauded and critics questioned whether they will achieve their aims.

Democratic Governor Phil Murphy signed the legislation in Trenton alongside Democratic legislative leaders and the bills’ sponsors, who moved the legislation shortly after a mass shooting at a Florida high school in February that left 17 dead.

New Jersey joins a list of states, including Florida and Vermont, that have enacted gun control legislation since the shooting, which set off a series of rallies across the country aimed at reducing gun violence through tighter laws.

Alfonso Calderon, a student from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., was on stage with Murphy, and both encouraged voters to elect candidates this fall who back ‘‘common sense’’ gun legislation.

All House and one-third of Senate seats will be on the ballot.

‘‘The majority of America’s youth knows we need this change to survive in our own schools,’’ Calderon said.

associated press