New Jersey is known for having some the most strict gun control laws in the country. This includes a difficult process to obtain a permit to carry handguns for self-defense.
New Jersey adds Concealed Carry Restrictions for Gun Control Efforts
New Jersey gun owners who wish to obtain a permit were able to do so with the help of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in New York Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen.
The Supreme Court ruling basically recognized that law-abiding Americans have the right to keep a firearm in their homes for self-defense. It also sets new standards for determining whether such restrictions are constitutional.
This was good news for legal gun owners in New Jersey, but it wasn’t the same for anti-gun state lawmakers. Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin is one example. He and his fellow Democrats immediately jumped into high gear and tried to pass more restrictive laws regarding concealed carry. They sold it as an attempt at curbing “gun violence.”
Coughlin stated that “N.J. has the most stringent gun laws in the country.” When the measure was introduced, Reporters Round Table discussed it. “And the truth is that we’re working hard to maintain that position.”
The legislation was passed by the New Jersey Senate Dec. 21 and signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy, an anti-gun governor. The legislation was signed by Phil Murphy the day after it was passed by the New Jersey Senate. It makes it much more difficult to conceal a firearm in New Jersey.
Expanding the number of “Sensitive places”
One provision of the new law significantly expands the list of “sensitive places” that prohibit concealed carry. This includes parks, beaches and restaurants as well as theaters. These “sensitive places” provisions in state law are likely to be unconstitutional according to Bruen, and are already in dispute in New York.
Coughlin is however insistent that the “sensitive areas” argument will stand up to court challenges.
He said, “We worked with the Attorney General’s Office, and we believe it will pass muster.” “This is about setting reasonable standards in gun safety and recognising that the world is not the same as what the Supreme Court discussed in its Bruen decision.
“The Founding Fathers did not have MetLife Stadium for tailgating or 85,000 people at that stadium. This is a recipe for trouble.
High Permit Fees and Low-Income Citizens Are Being Eliminated
Coughlin’s distrust of lawful gun owners with concealed carry permits is aside. The “sensitive places” provision was only one piece of legislation that was passed late last month. The measure also drastically increases the cost of getting an already-hard-to-acquire New Jersey carry permit.
New Jersey residents will need to pay $200 to apply for a permit. This makes it more difficult for low-income residents who live in areas that make it even more important to have a firearm for self defense.
The new law states that the application must be signed under oath by the applicant. It must also be endorsed by at least four reputable persons, who are not related in blood or law to the applicant, who have known the applicant for at most three years prior to the date of application. They shall certify that the applicant has not committed any acts or made any statements that could suggest that the applicant is likely engage in conduct that would be dangerous to the applicant or others.
It continues: “The reputable individuals shall also provide relevant information supporting certification, including the nature of their relationship to the applicant and information regarding their knowledge of the applicant’s use of drugs and alcohol.”
Invasive Application Process
Other changes to the gun control law include the expansion of training requirements, the ability for the government to use social media posts and online posts to deny permits, ban carry at public gatherings and ban carry in one’s own vehicle. Ban carry on private property unless an owner posts a sign stating it is allowed. The government also has the power to deny permits to carry using hard-to-define standards such as “temperament” and “character.”
Further provisions make it mandatory for gun owners to have special insurance. They don’t know if such policies exist or if they are legal. It creates a special group of public officials that don’t require a carry permit, which is perhaps the most frustrating. They may be able to carry firearms in places that “normal” citizens can’t.
It is likely that many of the provisions in the new law will not pass the tests required by the Bruen ruling. Before the ink had dried on Gov. Numerous pro-gun groups had filed lawsuits against Murphy’s signing of the law.
Legal Challenges
One plaintiff in the lawsuit is the Association of New Jersey State Rifle & Pistol Clubs. The suit–Siegel v. Platlin – was filed in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey within minutes of the law’s signing.
“New Jersey has changed its approach from one unconstitutional law allowing ‘no one to carry’ to another unconstitutional that allows one to carry “nowhere,” the lawsuit states. “Notwithstanding the clear ruling by the United States Supreme Court New Jersey does not want ordinary people carrying handguns in public. This is their fundamental right.”
The Firearms Policy Coalition also filed Koons against Reynolds. This is another challenge for the new law, which focuses on the “sensitive areas” provisions.
The complaint states that “These new sensitive place’ and vehicle transportation restrictions are so far-reaching, punitive, that they effectively obliterate one’s ability to bear arms in public to protect oneself and family–which is what the Supreme Court has deemed to be the ‘core” of the Second Amendment’s protections.”
While gun-haters and 2A supporters are fighting it out in court to the end, one thing is certain: New Jersey gun owners have not received the relief they deserve from the unfair gun control laws that they have lived with for so many years.
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Personal Defense World’s first article, New Jersey Doubles Down on Gun Control and Stiff Carry Restrictions, appeared first on Personal Defense World.
