Gun data released — NJ Top News

Here are the top New Jersey news stories for Friday:

⬛ Demand for answers in NJ: COVID numbers don't add up

(AP Photo file/Townsquare Media illustration)

TRENTON — A state lawmaker is calling for answers after an independent investigation into the state’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic counted more deaths than the state previously reported.

A report released this month by a firm hired by the state at a cost of $9 million faulted the state and the nation for its lack of preparedness for a pandemic.

The report noted that “more than 16,000 residents and many staff members” at long-term care facilities died from the virus.

⬛ 2 caught on camera swiping hundreds from a purse at NJ restaurant

Newark suspects (Newark NJ Department of Public Safety)

NEWARK — Police are looking for two suspects who stole money from a woman’s purse at a restaurant near The Prudential Center.

Newark Public Safety Director Fritz G. Fragé has requested the public’s help with identifying the pair wanted in the theft at Mad for Chicken, located in the 200 block of Market Street, at 12:31 p.m. Saturday, March 16.

⬛ NJ Sen. Bob Menendez says he won't run in Democratic primary

FILE - Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., listens during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Dec. 7, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)

TRENTON (AP) — U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey said Thursday that he will not run in the Democratic primary as he faces federal corruption charges, but he left open the possibility that he would reenter the race as an independent later this year if he is exonerated at a trial.

Menendez made the announcement in a video released Thursday afternoon.

The decision comes as Menendez fights federal bribery charges, along with his wife, Nadine, and three business associates.

⬛ Bullet hole found in wall of Lakewood, NJ bedroom

Bullet hole in the wall of a Lakewood home 3/21/24 (The Lakewood Scoop)

LAKEWOOD — A bullet hole was found in the bedroom wall of a Lakewood home and a bullet inside a mattress Wednesday afternoon.

Lakewood police Capt. Gregory Staffordsmith told New Jersey 101.5 the resident made the discovery Wednesday afternoon. The homeowner wasn't sure when the shot was fired but did hear gunshots fired Sunday afternoon a short distance away.

⬛ Where the guns are: New Jersey reveals who’s packing

Canva/Townsquare Media illustration

New Jersey has seen a huge spike in permit applications since the U.S. Supreme Court handed down the landmark Bruen decision.

Following the ruling, more than 33,000 applications have been made and the vast majority have been approved and granted.

A new dashboard maintained by New Jersey Attorney General's Office compiles data on carry permits, including location, demographics, and other data points.

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

Battleship New Jersey is towed for maintenance

The USS New Jersey left its dock in Camden on its way to the Philadelphia Navy Yard for extensive maintenance work on March 21, 2024. The vessel, guided by tugboats, will first head to the Paulsboro Marine Terminal, where it will be balanced to prepare for dry docking.

Gallery Credit: Dan Alexander