ANJRPC has launched Phase 2 - the Crackdown Phase - of its Permitting StrikeForce™ program, a comprehensive statewide initiative to address firearms permitting abuses throughout the Garden State. The program is aimed at ending, once and for all, the extensive delays, unauthorized conditions, and other widespread abuses plaguing the issuance of firearms ID cards and handgun purchase permits to law-abiding citizens throughout New Jersey.

In StrikeForce™ Phase 1, launched last year, we did a sweep of the entire state to create a comprehensive database chronicling and detailing the specific permitting abuses occurring throughout New Jersey's 565 municipalities and other permitting authorities. Hundreds of gun owners participated in Phase 1, providing us with evidence of their towns' abuses.

Our attorneys conducted their own independent statewide survey, and all of the data has been crunched, organized, and analyzed. For the first time in history, we now have the full picture of where and what the problems are, and it isn't pretty. From absurdly long delays, to blatantly unlawful application conditions, to outrageous privacy violations, we have identified the worst offenders.

"Phase 2 of the StrikeForce program is the start of the crackdown phase," said ANJRPC Executive Director Scott Bach. "We are serving legal notices on nearly 150 municipalities, informing them of the law, their obligations, and their specific violations in no uncertain terms. We expect that many towns will comply voluntarily once the clear and indisputable law has been explained to them, but the towns that won't see the light are going to feel the heat," said Bach.

During Phase 2, ANJRPC's counsel will be working to achieve voluntary compliance in as many towns as possible, as rapidly as possible. For those permitting authorities that simply refuse to comply, ANJRPC will embark on Phase 3 - the "hammer" phase, in which ANJRPC will deploy a number of the most powerful tools at its disposal, including litigation, to force compliance with the law.

"Permitting authorities need to understand that we have entered a new era after the groundbreaking U.S. Supreme Court decisions in the Heller and McDonald cases," said Bach. "It is unlawful to interfere with Second Amendment rights by abusing the permitting process, and ANJRPC will spare no effort or expense to stop further abuse."

Many towns impose outrageous, unauthorized conditions on issuance of purchase permits, such as employer notification, spousal consent, disclosure of all household member names, and passing a written exam. Many municipalities also ignore state law requiring application decisions within 30 days; some applicants wait over a year before getting a decision. Some towns also ration handgun purchase permits at the rate of one per month, under the mistaken belief that New Jersey's "one gun a month" law applies to issuance of permits themselves.

ANJRPC first began addressing permitting issues on a case-by-case basis in 2009. Recent legal developments made it viable to launch ANJRPC'S Permitting StrikeForce™ last year as the first-ever comprehensive compliance sweep over the entire state. The program is synergistic and complementary with the efforts of other organizations on permitting issues.