On June 11, 2025 Englishtown, New Jersey passed a resolution rebating 75 percent of carry permit fees back to applicants. What followed was an avalanche of robust support and interest.
As previously reported, in the wake of NYSRPA v. Bruen, New Jersey enacted a law to punish permit to carry applicants and holders. Of the many provisions they put into place, they added an excessive and punitive fee. A permit that’s only good for two years costs $200.00, in addition to onerous fees associated with mandatory training. $150.00 of that fee goes directly to an applicant’s municipality. Englishtown resolved that they would be rebating the municipal portion because the exorbitant fee chills the exercise of a constitutional right. Other towns have committed to fighting back too.
From the early murmurs of the Englishtown resolution being introduced, the New Jersey Firearms Owners Syndicate and the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms were supportive of and leading this initiative. Leadership from both CCRKBA and NJFOS penned letters of support to the Englishtown council. Many grassroots activists in the Garden State–members of both organizations–as well as from other advocacy groups, attended the June 11 meeting to give testimony on the topic.
In the days since Mayor Daniel Francisco from Englishtown introduced and the council passed the resolution, there’s been a groundswell of support from citizens seeking to replicate this action in their towns. The move also created enough attention to bring together the two groups with another nationally known organization–The National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action. The three organizations are championing the fee rebate program together.
Other towns that passed similar resolutions include: Franklin Borough on June 24, Dumont on July 15, and Hopatcong on July 16. That means municipalities in Monmouth County, Sussex County, and Bergen County have come to support the fee rebate program.
Councilman Concetto Formica from Franklin Borough was pivotal in getting the resolution passed in his municipality as well as engaging with leaders in other communities. Formica said that the Borough had formerly supported the so-called “Second Amendment sanctuary” movement that swept New Jersey a number of years ago and that the permitting resolution passed with unanimous support in Franklin.
“Everyone sees what’s going on with New Jersey,” Formica told Bearing Arms. “So to us, it was the bare minimum that we could do to try and help out all the residents because of the cost of everything else that’s going up. And what other constitutional right do you have that you have to pay for?”
Formica said that the police do spend a little time on the investigations, but that under the new system, the municipalities don’t even have to print or provide the permits when they’re issued. Holders are responsible for that. Administratively there’s not much to the permitting process on the municipal level. “It’s not even like you go there to pick up a physical copy or anything like that,” Formica explained. “It’s just pretty much an email confirmation that you receive, and then you print out your permit. And that’s it.”
The work that Formica is doing did not stop in Franklin. He said that anything he can do to help other towns streamline the process and bring the resolution to them, he’d be happy to do. “You know you’re doing something good for the constituents and for and for the gun community,” Formica said.
At their last meeting, Vernon Township had it on their agenda to discuss the resolution. Mayor Anthony Rossi was a big proponent of bringing it to his municipality. The debate was met with some skepticism from some of the council members, but after understanding the full scope, more of them indicated support of passing the resolution in Vernon.
“Pat, so many people without children in this town pay for other people’s kids to go to school,” Councilwoman Jessica DeBenedetto from Vernon said during the open debate. “It’s the cost of belonging [to the] society in which we have.”
The open debate seemed to have paid off.
“I have to say, what [was] just said about the, you know, societal benefit…” Councilman Bradley Sparta from Vernon mused about the town’s duty to their citizens, “there’s people in this town that never have a kid in the school, and they pay for school taxes–[that], swayed me on this. That’s why I think discussions like this are very important to have.”
Mayor Rossi opened up to Bearing Arms about the resolution being introduced in Vernon. “When I [had] seen that Englishtown was able to get rid of the municipal fee for concealed carry,” Rossi said, “at that moment, I was like, ‘Oh, we can get rid of that?’ The light bulb [went off].”
Rossi said that affordability is a driving factor. He said that “when you read and you start looking at what the Murphy administration was doing,” he explained that “that’s all these fees were for, […] to punish the gun owner.”
“You know, if that was every five years, seven years, you know what? That may not be as bad, right?” Rossi continued, “But every two years now, that’s a lot of money. It’s a lot of money.
“This is when I hear [a] disabled veteran who said ‘I’m on fixed income, I can’t afford this.’ Or the person who’s just, ‘I would like to carry my gun for self-protection and but I cannot afford to spend over $500 to have this.’ That’s the things that really bothered me.”
Rossi told Bearing Arms that being able to help his constituents in these ways was a reason why he ran to become mayor. Both Rossi and Formica showed their support by testifying in other towns such as Hopatcong.
“I’m proud that the Hopatcong Council unanimously voted to support this resolution,” Councilwoman Rachel Rodriguez told Bearing Arms. “It’s essential that our local mayors and councils collaborate closely, aligning on initiatives to deliver the changes our communities need. As elected officials, we must fiercely advocate for those we represent. Those unwilling to stand up for their constituents should step aside and make way for those ready to lead.”
It’s obvious that what started in Englishtown, New Jersey has now turned into a movement. More and more municipalities and their citizens are interested in these commonsense measures. With the support from two national and a New Jersey grassroots organization, there’s a lot of weight behind what’s going on. Even in New Jersey, the membership numbers are nothing to laugh at when looking at the three groups leading the charge.
If you’re in New Jersey and are interested in bringing this permit fee rebate resolution to your town, a policy brief can be found HERE. Also, be sure to reach out directly to New Jersey Firearms Owners Syndicate–HERE–on coming up with a game plan . They’re running the very important boots-on-the-ground portion of this endeavor and they need to be able to track these measures across the Garden State.
Author’s Note: Full disclosure, I serve as an unpaid volunteer member of the board of directors of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
Editor’s Note: Second Amendment advocates are fighting to dismantle the barriers erected between we the people and our right to keep and bear arms.
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