Gov. Phil Murphy might not be able to handle a snowstorm, but he sure knows how to attack law-abiding gun owners. This week, the New Jersey Governor delivered his budget address to a joint session of the Legislature, and his scheme to further attack the Second Amendment was unfurled in the form of increased “fees” for gun permits. It has been reported that Gov. Murphy’s budget proposes raising the FID card application from $5 to $100 and handgun purchase permits from $2 to $50 per application!
These draconian increases on purchase permits and FID cards amount to a poll tax on a fundamental constitutional right. Gov. Murphy tried to do this last year, but the Legislature resisted the move. In addition to the fee increases, the Governor is pushing for increasing excise taxes on both firearms and ammunition. Again, despite his rhetoric about helping the middle class, this millionaire Governor’s actions demonstrate he has no problem pricing the poor out of their right to self-defense. He’s essentially saying that only the wealthy should have guns.
NRA-ILA will continue to closely monitor the budget process. The Governor’s latest ploy is so egregious, if adopted, it would almost certainly result in litigation. Please continue to follow NRA-ILA alerts as we report on this development and many other important issues facing New Jersey gun owners.