N.J. officially drops “justifiable need” standard after Justice Thomas’s opinion

The Dobbs decision is obviously getting most of the attention this weekend, Save Jerseyans, but last week’s U.S. Supreme Court gun decision – authored by the great Clarence Thomas – is far more likely to impact New Jersey residents.

On Friday, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office issued a new directive instructing law enforcement that carry permit applicants no longer needed to demonstrate justifiable need:

“Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision that impacts New Jersey’s permitting law but does not eliminate our overall permitting requirements. Under current New Jersey law, an individual can obtain a carry permit only if they can demonstrate to the reviewing officer that the applicant satisfies mandatory statutory requirements: (1) is “not subject to any of the disabilities which would prevent him or her from obtaining a permit to purchase a handgun or a firearms purchaser identification card,” (2) is “thoroughly familiar with the safe handling and use of handguns,” and (3) “[h]as demonstrated a justifiable need to carry a handgun.” N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4; N.J.A.C. 13:54-2.4. The decision in N.Y. State Rifle & Pistol Assoc. v. Bruen, No. 20-843, prevents us from continuing to require a demonstration of justifiable need in order to carry a firearm, but it does not prevent us from enforcing the other requirements in our law.”

You can read the full directive here.

It’s big news for New Jerseyans who, under the old regime, found it extremely difficult to obtain carry permits despite clearing background checks and meeting other requirements.

“While Gov. Murphy has announced that he intends to try to limit carry in every way possible, whatever actions he tries to take will have to pass Constitutional muster under Bruen,” opined the Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs (ANJRPC), an NRA affiliate. “Today’s announcement by the Attorney General is nothing short of EARTH-SHAKING and represents the culmination of decades of incredibly difficult work by gun owners.”

Matt Rooney
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MATT ROONEY is SaveJersey.com's founder and editor-in-chief, a practicing New Jersey attorney, and the host of 'The Matt Rooney Show' on 1210 WPHT every Sunday evening from 7-10PM EST.