SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed the state’s new gun regulations into law Thursday, with new requirements to obtain a concealed carry permit.
The new law bans weapons from a wide range of public places including schools and hospitals, and requires permit holders to get permission to bring guns onto private property.
“We are not going to put the burden on ordinary New Jerseyans to have to tell someone visiting their home of business, be it a repair person or a neighbor, that they don’t want firearms on their property every time someone visits,” said Murphy.
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Gun owners must get insurance for their weapons and undergo firearms training in order to concealed carry, and Murphy said the new law also increases the permit application fee to $25, “from the $2 mark that it has sat since 1966.”
“And I might add, as a dog owner, and at long last, it is no longer cheaper to get a permit to purchase a handgun than it is to get a dog license.”
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Murphy says these are common sense laws with public safety as the priority.
Gun ownership advocates have vowed to fight these new regulations in court, and the state is expecting these challenges. Murphy says the laws were meticulously reviewed to ensure they comply with the Second Amendment.
“Now we know the gun lobby and its acolytes are already preparing to take us to court to block these common sense measures,” said Murphy. “Even if any part of the law is successfully challenged, the rest of it would remain intact and enforceable.”
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Attorney General Matt Platkin said strong gun laws are the reason why New Jersey has much lower rates of gun violence than places like Alabama and Mississippi.
“The numbers bear it out,” said Platkin. “In New Jersey this year, shootings are down 23% across the state. That’s because of, not in spite of, our strong gun safety laws.”