BAYVILLE, N.J. — On May 18, Berkeley Township (also known as Bayville) passed an ordinance that would rebate a portion of the state-mandated Permit to Carry fee, continuing the first-in-the-nation trend that started in New Jersey.
The Town Council passed resolution #26-219-R in a 4-3 vote (one abstaining and two absent). It will return $100 of the $150 total fee to residents in the form of a rebate when residents make the request and submit proof of payment to the town police or finance department. The measure is effective as of the date the resolution passed for all future applications and renewals.
Berkeley is among the 23 total municipalities that have passed a similar measure, a trend which started in Englishtown in mid-2025.
In a phone interview with News2A, Berkeley Township Mayor Bacchione offered the following explanation for his support of the measure:
With prices rising on everything that we consume in this state and country I thought this was another money grab. The state mandates that we collect this fee. The state could expunge or vacate the fee, but has chosen not to do so. Moreover, I believe this is intentional and meant as a deterrent towards people exercising their rights. As a supporter of legally carrying firearms, I believe we should not be penalizing people through fees on their constitutional rights. I applaud the council for passing this measure.
An April 20 letter from New Jersey State Senator Carmen Amato Jr. (R-District 9) asked the Berkeley mayor and town council to consider the measure in the interest “of our mutual constituents who support the Second Amendment.”
The letter also hinted at legislation being drafted by the GOP caucus for the state legislature to repeal the state fee for concealed carry permits, adding that firearms-related fees are “a growing concern,” and “…infringe upon citizen’s ability to exercise their constitutional rights…”
During testimony before the town council, resident Keith Durgin stated, “I’m getting priced out of my permit,” according to local reporting.
Two gun rights advocates from other towns also showed up to provide testimony and encourage the council to support this measure. Tony Rockhill, of Beachwood, and Michael Doc Glenn, of Lacey (both of whom are members of the New Jersey Firearm Owners Syndicate – a grassroots gun rights organization in the state that has helped promote this measure).
The movement to rebate carry permits came out of a collaboration between three gun rights groups: the New Jersey Firearm Owners Syndicate, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and the National Rifle Association-Institute for Legislative Action. This first-of-its-kind movement has helped many private citizens bring similar measures to their town councils for consideration by providing a policy briefing document with both language that can be used in a bill and suggestions about how to communicate with elected officials.
We have documented the full list of towns on our tracker.
