At a time when uncertainty about social order has prompted a large number of Americans to exercise their Second Amendment right to self-defense, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has made it impossible for Garden Staters to do so.

On March 21, the New Jersey State Police issued the following message to Federal Firearms Licensees.

On Saturday March 21, 2020, Governor Phil Murphy announced he is putting New Jersey in lockdown to combat the spread of coronavirus. Per Executive Order 107, he is ordering the residents of New Jersey to stay home, directing all non-essential retail businesses closed to the public. At this time, the order includes New Jersey Firearms State Licensed Dealers. The New Jersey State Police NICS Unit is directing the vendor of the NICS Online Application (NICUSA) to turn off the NICS Online Services for submitting NICS transactions by eliminating the “Request Form” button, effective 9:00pm EST, Saturday, March 21, 2020. You will still have the ability to view the message board and the status of previously submitted transactions. This “Request Form” feature will remain off until further order by Governor Murphy.

New Jersey is a Full Point of Contact state for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. This means that all firearm background checks conducted in New Jersey are performed by the New Jersey State Police, who access the federal government's criminal history databases. In the majority of states, firearm background checks are performed by the FBI directly.

New Jersey's actions are an unacceptable deprivation of Second Amendment rights at a time when residents are concerned for the safety of themselves, their loved ones, and their communities.

NRA is currently pursuing all legal options to halt the New Jersey Government's unconstitutional actions and secure the Second Amendment rights of Garden State residents.

Stay-tuned to NRA-ILA Alerts for more updates as information becomes available.