Thousands of residents are struggling to obtain concealed carry permits in New Jersey following a landmark Supreme Court case in June that struck down many gun laws nationwide, according to The New Jersey Monitor.
As many as 200,000 people were expected to apply for a concealed carry permit in New Jersey following the ruling, which struck down the “special need” requirement for applicants, but nine months later, “thousands” of residents are still waiting while the New Jersey State Police (NJSP) “ignores” information requests about the applications,
“There’s all kinds of delays, and it’s a problem that exists sprinkled throughout the state,” Scott Bach, executive director of the New Jersey Pistol and Rifle Association, told the New Jersey Monitor.
There are “backlogs in every case type and every division because of the shortage of judges,” Courts spokeswoman MaryAnn Spoto told the New Jersey Monitor.
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Residents must obtain a concealed carry permit for each firearm they wish to concealed carry, according to the New Jersey Monitor.
In June, New Jersey followed New York’s lead and adjusted their concealed carry gun laws to fit the requirements of the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen ruling.
The updated law included a “sensitive places” requirement that barred concealed carry in schools, public parks, courthouses, bars, private property and numerous other places, leading second amendment advocates to claim the law violated the constitution.
Despite the alleged constitutional violations, the updated law removed the “special need” requirement that forced residents to prove they “needed” a concealed carry license for a specific reason, and thousands of applications ensued.
Republican New Jersey state Sen. Ed Durr, who was recently stuck in the application process, told the New Jersey Monitor that his concealed carry application took months to approve.
According to the New Jersey Monitor, the number of concealed carry applications stuck in limbo is currently unknown as the NJSP has not responded to requests or updated numbers.
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A spokeswoman for Democratic New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said there is no source to tell how many applications were filed after New Jersey’s updated law was implemented on Dec. 22.
“It’s not a universal problem. If a town is intent on meeting its obligation, they could do it if they really wanted to, and they hire more people. Many jurisdictions, they don’t take it seriously, and they really need to,” Bach continued.
According to the New Jersey Monitor, from the Bruen ruling in June to the updated concealed carry law in December, New Jersey received 11,298 applications statewide. As of February, more than 800 requests were still pending.
The NJSP “ignored repeated requests for information on how many concealed carry permits local police have issued,” according to the New Jersey Monitor.
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