After Phil Murphy signed NJ’s Carry Killer bill (A.4769), in a complete rejection of the Supreme Court’s holding in Bruen, the Attorney General’s Office elected to voluntarily release data relating to the number of carry permit applications, including denial rates. A.4769, which declared virtually the entire state as gun-free zone, radically increased the fees to obtain a permit to carry and increased the subjectivity of the firearms licensing process. Based on data published in the AG’s Permit to Carry Dashboard, independent research began to emerge that showed clear evidence of a racially discriminatory bias in subjective permit denials with Black applicants being denied at a rate nearly 10 times that of White applicants. Since Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s Administration took over in January, that data has not been updated. A.222 would statutorily require that the state produce statistics on both the total number of applications received for all firearms license types and would require reporting on denial rates based on gender, race, and ethnicity.
While the prior administration was producing some of this information, the Sherrill Administration is either dragging its feet or is choosing to sweep this under the rug. Especially in light of the alarming trends that were uncovered, now, more than ever, New Jersey residents need these reporting requirements codified. Transparency in the licensing process involving a core constitutional right should be of bipartisan concern.
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