Gun Rights Groups Join Forces as More New Jersey Towns Roll Back Carry Permit Fees

New Jersey is home to a growing grassroots revolution that now includes three gun rights groups joining forces in combatting excessive fees levied on carry permit applicants.

The New Jersey Firearm Owners Syndicate (NJFOS), the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA), and the National Rifle Association – Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) have joined forces to convince municipalities throughout New Jersey to refund concealed carry permit applicants $150 of the $200 application fee.

As we previously reported, on June 11, Englishtown became the first town in New Jersey – and likely the nation – to voluntarily eliminate the municipal portion of the fee, which equates to a substantial $150.

Franklin Township followed shortly thereafter, and now a cascade of towns are following suit, including Dumont, Hopatcong, and many others who have similar measures waiting for a vote. Now, with three gun rights groups joining forces, New Jersey may become a national role model among traditionally blue states by setting a roadmap on how to safeguard Second Amendment rights at the municipal level – something the state is unlikely to challenge.

“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 in a statement on their site. “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,” said Alan Gottlieb, chairman of CCRKBA. “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.”

We will continue to publish updates as more of New Jersey’s 564 municipalities vote to respect Second Amendment rights by significantly reducing the financial burden to exercise such.