⭕ Gov. Phil Murphy continues to fight against the right to carry a firearm

⭕ New Map shows where the most carry permits have been filed

⭕ Murphy and AG urge all businesses to create 'gun free zones'


Gov. Phil Murphy and Attorney General Matt Platkin are urging New Jersey business owners to create thousands of new 'gun free zones.'

Murphy and Platkin have been working hard to undermine the so-called Bruen decision that lifted most restrictions surrounding an individual's right to carry a firearm.

Lawmakers have already passed a series of bans that prohibit carrying a firearm at entertainment venues, public gatherings, schools, healthcare facilities, government buildings, and any establishment that serves alcohol.

The new initiative encourages businesses to ban guns from their property.

Photo: NJOAG
Photo: NJOAG
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"No matter what you’ve heard," reads a notice on the attorney general's website, "Owners of public establishments CAN display signs prohibiting guns on and around their property."

READ MORE: Strict concealed carry restrictions remain in New Jersey

Platkin has announced his office is making 'Gun Free Zone' decals available to any business that wants one.

Photo: Associated Press
Photo: Associated Press
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"The decals can help ensure the increase in people carrying guns doesn’t lead to a higher rate of shootings and gun deaths like those experienced in states with less-protective gun laws than New Jersey," Platkin said, "New Jerseyans should be able to go about their daily lives without the risk of senseless gun violence. The simple placement of these decals can offer some sense of security to customers and give business owners a means to clearly state their policy."

You can request a decal and flyer from the NJOAG website HERE.

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"As we continue to adjust to the reality we face after the Bruen decision and fight against the consistent attacks from the gun lobby to undermine commonsense gun safety legislation, our mission is to make New Jersey a safer place to live, work, go to school, and raise a family,” said Governor Phil Murphy in a statement.

Gun permit disclosure

AG Platkin also announced a new dashboard that shows where people are applying for permits to carry a firearm.

Similar to New Jersey's sex offender registry, the dashboard allows users to search by geographic locations and other factors to see where applications for gun permits are being filed and granted.

The database does not reveal an individual's name, location or other personal data of permits applicants.

Canva/Townsquare Media illustration
Canva/Townsquare Media illustration
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"Transparency is a key component to enhancing public safety. The data available in this dashboard allows its users to gain an understanding of where in New Jersey the applications for permits to carry firearms is increasing,” said Platkin in a news release.

READ MORE: Avoid these common mistakes when filling out a gun permit application

Top areas for gun permits in New Jersey

According to the attorney general, there were approximately 35,000 permit-to-carry applications submitted since December 2019 through the end of February 2024. The majority were submitted since the Bruen decision in 2022.

The biggest number of new applications have come from residents in Bergen, Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

Each county has processed more than 3,000 new permits each.

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The two municipalities that have seen the largest volume of new carry permits are Newark, in Essex County, and Toms River in Ocean County.

Individuals can access the state's new database HERE.

Places in NJ where gun owners have sued to carry a legal gun

New Jersey passed its own law in December, trying to ban legal guns from “sensitive places.” 

A federal judge found many of those spots to be legally protected on grounds of armed self-defense, noting in her opinion, “Crowded locations are not sensitive places."

As of June, a federal appeals court granted the state attorney general's request to keep part of the law that bars people from carrying handguns in “sensitive places” in effect.

The decision means handguns cannot be carried in places such as zoos, public parks, public libraries and museums, bars, and health care facilities.

The law bars handguns from being carried in those places as well as schools and child care facilities. The lower court's May injunction did not specify those locations, and the appeals court also didn't remove the prohibition in those places.

Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt & The Associated Press

Top 20 towns in NJ with highest tax increases

These 20 municipalities in 2023 had the highest one-year increase in their average property tax bills, according to a New Jersey 101.5 analysis of Department of Community Affairs data.

Gallery Credit: New Jersey 101.5

Proposed school aid for NJ school districts in 2024-25

The state Department of Education announced proposed district-level school aid figures for the 2024-25 school year. They're listed below by county, ranked from the biggest increase from the current year to the biggest cuts (if any were made).

Gallery Credit: New Jersey 101.5

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