The National Rifle Association – Institute for Legislative Action has joined forces with the New Jersey Firearm Owners Syndicate and Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms to convince municipalities throughout New Jersey to refund concealed carry permit applicants $150 of the $200 application fee.
After the Supreme Court held that every American has a right to publicly carry firearms in the NRA’s landmark victory NYSRPA v. Bruen, New Jersey increased the cost of concealed carry permits to $200. While $50 of the fee is paid directly to the Superintendent of the State Police, the other $150 is paid to the applicant’s municipality. The objective of the joint initiative by NRA-ILA, NJFOS, and CCRKBA is to persuade municipalities to pass resolutions authorizing a refund of the $150 paid to them through the application process.
On June 11, Englishtown became the first town in New Jersey to eliminate the $150 fee. On June 24, Franklin Township became the second town. With the support of NRA members, we are optimistic that other towns will soon follow.
“We’re proud to stand with NJFOS and CCRKBA in urging municipalities to significantly reduce the financial burden placed on New Jerseyans seeking to exercise their constitutional rights,” said NRA-ILA Executive Director, John Commerford. “No one should be priced out of their right to self-defense. Eliminating these unjust costs is a common-sense step toward ensuring equal access to a fundamental freedom.”
“Our coalition here reflects how serious and important this issue is,” Joe LoPorto, the director of legal operations of NJFOS said. “Putting core constitutional rights behind prohibitively high fees is a regrettable and discriminatory strategy that states like New Jersey have employed in the wake of Bruen. This strategy harms the poor and the vulnerable. But communities across the State can now fix Trenton’s bad policies and help restore some semblance of equal protection under the law.”
“A lot of revolutionary ideas get drawn on cocktail napkins, but it wasn’t until after we saw how successful this project was in Englishtown that we knew we were onto something big,” Alan Gottlieb, the chairman of CCRKBA said. “Partnering with NRA-ILA and NJFOS is a no-brainer. We’re working to get these unconstitutional fees refunded back to as many applicants as possible. These fees are exorbitant and fly in the face of Bruen.”
Please stay tuned to www.nraila.org for future updates on NRA-ILA’s ongoing efforts to defend your constitutional rights, and please visit www.nraila.org/litigation to keep up to date on NRA-ILA’s ongoing litigation efforts.
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