It is a story we have heard before, this time with different actors. A request to the city of Linwood, New Jersey, to rebate the $150 municipal portion of the state-mandated carry permit application fee is falling on deaf ears, with one council member stating that fees are a good deterrent to keep firearms out of the hands of people who “can’t afford it.”
Ronald Koons (popularly known for the lawsuit that bears his name in Koons v. Platkin, a case challenging New Jersey’s sensitive places prohibitions on concealed carry) is a Linwood resident who has approached the town numerous times seeking to have the council formally introduce the measure.
Over the course of the past eight months, he has had many conversations with Linwood officials, championing many reasons for embracing the PTC rebate. Yet the measure has never been brought up for a vote. Frustrated that these conversations yielded no results, Mr. Koons formally put the request in writing to the council on Monday, March 16. This publication reached out in writing and via phone to Linwood Mayor Matik numerous times (without response), seeking confirmation that the Council would formally entertain the resolution.
The agenda for the March 25 meeting (which was released just a couple of hours before the meeting) did not contain any reference to the resolution, although Mr. Koons was allowed five minutes to give an impassioned speech in support of the measure, which has been passed by 19 other towns. In his speech, he specifically mentioned the principle of this being a constitutional right and how it was unethical to charge excessive fees to exercise that right.
During his public testimony in front of the council, Mr. Koons recalled a private conversation where one of the council members present (whose name he requested this publication not to disclose) stated, “I look at this as a way to stop those from carrying a gun that probably should not be if they can’t afford it.”
New Jersey Officials Have Record of Elitism
Linwood would likely not be on our radar if it were not for that problematic statement by a council member – a statement and sentiment heard many times before from New Jersey legislators prior to the passing of A4769, a measure which arguably had a chilling effect on the ability of New Jersey residents to exercise their constitutional rights.
This kind of elitist thinking is pervasive amongst elected officials. “This is actually the reason I got involved as an activist,” Koons told News2A, referring to egregious comments by New Jersey Assembly representatives during the 2022 discussion of the state assembly bill to ban firearms from so-called “sensitive places,” and enact the high fees residents must pay today.
The unnamed Linwood councilman would find good company with Assemblyman John McKeon (D-Essex), who in 2022 said, “Does anybody really want to put more guns in the hands of people that live in Paterson and Newark and Elizabeth and Camden to say ‘oh, the money you’re charging isn’t fair,’ That’ll make things safer? Please.” The comment is inflammatory at best, assuming that residents of those places are all criminals, and racist at worst, given the high number of minorities who populate those towns.
Assemblyman Joe Danielsen’s (D) predictions ended up being not just grossly exaggerated, but the opposite of the truth. During the same debate over A4769 he stated:
What I can say with certainty is that studies have shown that states with lenient right-to-carry laws lead to increased firearm related crimes.
The question before us now is how many will die? We cannot wait until after the loss of lives to take action to protect residents of New Jersey. As a legislator, I cannot stand for that.
Three and a half years later, over 100,000 Permits to Carry have been issued, according to the state’s Permit to Carry Dashboard, and the state has announced that gun violence is at a historic low.
Mr. Koons’ battle is being replicated across the state as residents stand up to take back their rights. However, it seems to be successful only where residents coordinate in a metaphorical show of force. More than ever, now is the time to push back on elitist representatives who believe constitutional liberties are only for those who can afford it.
