Governor Murphy: Stop infringing on our Second Amendment right to bear arms; Revise N.J.S.2C:58-4(c) to remove the requirement of “justifiable need”

There is no doubt that we live in a dangerous world, and it seems to be getting worse day by day. We are constantly bombarded with new reports of violent crime, be it assault, robbery, rape, murder, or even large-scale terrorist attacks. These crimes often occur at the hands of armed criminals, leading many to believe that banning or severely restricting guns will prevent them from happening. That’s simply not the case. -- If New Jersey’s gun legislation really worked, we wouldn't have two of the “Murder Capitals of America”. Criminals largely tend to circumvent the strict regulations imposed on them by simply buying guns illegally. Just look at the story of Anderson Baker, who speaks of his own experience using illegally obtained firearms to carry out his gang activities in Camden. He says: “Gun laws to people in Camden are like saying you’ll get a ticket if you jaywalk [...] It means nothing.” But those same regulations do prohibit honest, lawful people from protecting themselves against deadly harm.

Right now, New Jerseyans can’t protect themselves until it’s too late.

NJ state law currently dictates the following regarding applications for permits to carry handguns:

"Each application form shall be accompanied by a written certification of justifiable need to carry a handgun, which shall be under oath and, in the case of a private citizen, shall specify in detail the urgent necessity for self-protection, as evidenced by specific threats or previous attacks which demonstrate a special danger to the applicant's life that cannot be avoided by means other than by issuance of a permit to carry a handgun." [N.J.S.2C:58-4(c)]

That means we can’t decide to protect ourselves until after receiving a deadly threat or even an actual attack. Imagine not being allowed to have airbags in your car until after you get in an accident, or a fire extinguisher until your house has already burned down. That’s the position the people of New Jersey are in right now when it comes to self-defense. And that’s exactly what happened to Carol Bowne, who in 2015 was stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend while waiting for a permit.

Even having received the permit on time, "If Bowne had obtained a gun, state law would not have allowed her to carry it loaded outside her Patton Avenue home." She could have been saved had it not been for an overly restrictive system that does little to stop unlawful gun use and everything to limit law-abiding citizens. As citizens of a free nation, we deserve the legal right to protect ourselves before our lives are threatened.

Nobody should need a specific reason to protect their life. Let's make sure that the good people of the State of New Jersey are empowered to protect themselves at all times.