⭕ Dashboard shows data on carry permits in New Jersey

⭕ There has been a huge spike in applications since 2022

⭕ Data is tracked and updated weekly

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

In a case brought by rifle and pistol clubs in New York, a divided court ruled that the ability to carry a pistol in public is a right guaranteed by the Second Amendment.

The ruling gutted laws in states like New Jersey where it was extremely difficult to obtain a carry permit.

There were fewer than 2,000 total permit applications for a carry permit between January 2020 and June 2022 before the court made its landmark ruling.

READ MORE: Strict Concealed Carry Restrictions Remain in New Jersey

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.

Statewide data was previously not available because applications for permits to carry had been submitted on paper to individual police departments and not centralized.

Data displayed on the dashboard is retroactive to Dec. 1, 2019, and includes information on application decisions and demographic information on applicants, but it reveals no personal details about an individual applicant.

Who is applying for a carry permit in New Jersey?

Of the total applications made since 2019, the majority (52%) were made by white men.

Less than 1% of the total applications made were from women in New Jersey.

Nearly half of all applications (44%) were made by individuals between the ages of 40 and 59.

Where are the applications coming from in New Jersey

Every county has seen an increase in the number of carry permits being applied for since July 2020.

The top three counties with the highest number of applications:

Ocean County: 3,444

Monmouth County: 3,142

Bergen County: 3,058

The fewest number of applications were made in Cape May County (558 applications) and in Salem County (351).

Rural counties have the most carry permits per resident

As a percentage of population, some of New Jersey's most rural counties have issued the most carry permits.

⭕ Sussex County: 78 per 10,000 residents

⭕ Warren County: 72 per 10,000 residents

⭕ Salem County: 61 per 10,000 residents

⭕ Cumberland County: 61 per 10,000 residents

Most municipalities have also seen an increase

Applications for a carry permit are made through your local police department and processed through a new centralized system run by the New Jersey State Police.

Nearly every municipality in the state saw and increase in the number of new permits they have been asked to process for local residents.

The highest number of new applications per municipality are:

⭕ Newark (Essex County): 1,001

⭕  Toms River (Ocean County: 761

⭕ Old Bridge (Middlesex County): 483

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

Why is this data being made available?

It is officially a safety initiative, but both Attorney General Matt Platkin and Gov. Phil Murphy clearly intend the dashboard to be a deterrent to gun ownership in New Jersey.

"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,” Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement announcing the new dashboard,

"I applaud the Office of the Attorney General for its continued partnership with our office and law enforcement entities across our state to implement innovative strategies that expand on New Jersey’s rank as a national leader in gun safety.”

"Transparency is a key component to enhancing public safety," Platkin said. "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. New Jerseyans should be able to go about their daily lives without the risk of senseless gun violence."

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