New Jersey Gov. Looks to Increase Gun Ownership Fees By 20 TIMES the Current Cost

Brittany M. Hughes | April 22, 2019
DONATE
Font Size

New Jersey Democrats must think that only the rich should be allowed to arm and defend themselves, considering their latest proposal to up the price of owning and carrying a gun by more than 20 times the current cost.

At present, the total cost to own and carry a gun in the Garden State is only $27 - $2 for the ownership permit, $5 for the firearm ID card, and $20 for the permit to carry it.

But if Democrat Gov. Philip D. Murphy has his way, that cost would skyrocket into the hundreds. Under Murphy’s latest proposal, the new cost to own and carry a gun would be a stunning $550 - $50 for the owner’s permit, $100 for the I.D. card, and $400 for the carry permit.

All for a law-abiding citizen to exercise their fundamental Second Amendment right to bear arms.

In fact, according to the New York Times, Murphy’s proposal would put New Jersey at the top of the list for most expensive states to own and carry a gun, surpassing New York’s own $340 price tag.

According to Murphy, the revenue would fund programs to combat gun violence.

“There’s no war on responsible gun owners,” Murphy claimed. “We can support the efforts of the attorney general, state troopers, county and local law enforcement, to do the stuff we need to do: track crime, track gun violence, combat trafficking of illegal guns.”

But gun rights advocates have noted that such incredibly high fees are a war on responsible gun owners, pointing out that other states and localities have implemented similar laws to make it more difficult for many people, particularly those of lesser financial means, to exercise their basic constitutional right to keep and bear arms. On top of that, making it more difficult for law-abiding citizens to own and carry guns for self-defense does nothing to prevent guns from ending up in the hands of criminals who don’t care about permits or I.D. cards.

donate