The New Jersey Permit to Carry Dashboard that’s been available since 2024 stuttered between gubernatorial administrations. While the system was on pause a bill that would force transparency was reintroduced.
In 2023 former Attorney General Matthew Platkin issued a directive that forced the reporting on permit-to-carry application statistics. Previously reported, Black permit-to-carry applicants were getting denied more than double their white counterparts for non-criminal and subjective reasons. It also revealed that the majority of all denials across the board were for subjective reasons that go against NYSRPA v. Bruen. Last year lawmakers introduced a bill that would force transparency in the firearms permitting processes and while the dashboard was on hiatus, it was reintroduced.
A Mar. 15 post on X by Second Amendment pundit Rob Romano pointed out that the Permit to Carry Dashboard stopped getting updated. What Romano observed was that there had been no entries for 2026. Was this a function of a changing administration? Or something different?
In the time between Romano pointing out that the dashboard had gone dark and the present date, the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action reported on the scenario. Their alert observed that the dashboard was no longer being updated, but it also announced the reintroduction of a bill that would force accountability and transparency.
“A.222 would statutorily require that the state produce statistics on both the total number of applications received for all firearms license types and would require reporting on denial rates based on gender, race, and ethnicity,” the NRA-ILA article stated. “While the prior administration was producing some of this information, the Sherrill Administration is either dragging its feet or is choosing to sweep this under the rug. Especially in light of the alarming trends that were uncovered, now, more than ever, New Jersey residents need these reporting requirements codified.”
NRA-ILA also noted that promoting transparency in a licensing process that regulates a core constitutional right should garner bipartisan attention.
N.J. Assembly Bill 222 was reintroduced on Jan. 13. The two Republican primary sponsors, Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia and Assemblyman Robert Auth, both have strong records supporting the Second Amendment. The bill is cosponsored by Assemblyman Michael Inganamort and the Senate companion is S3414.
The summary of the bill notes the following:
This bill requires State and local law enforcement agencies to report certain firearm permit application data to the Attorney General and requires the Attorney General to issue and make public certain reports.
Under the bill, each law enforcement agency in the State is required to submit to the Office of the Attorney General anonymized data concerning certain information contained in permit to carry a handgun, permit to purchase a handgun, and firearm purchaser identification card applications that were approved or denied by a law enforcement agency.
Information required to be collected includes: date of application, county and municipality, year of birth, race, ethnicity, and gender identity of applicants. The application status of being approved or denied would also need to be reported — with dates and reasons for denials if applicable.
The temporary hiatus on the dashboard not getting an update could be attributed to several things.
Governor Rebecca Michelle “Mikie” Sherrill was sworn in as New Jersey’s 57th governor on Jan. 20. With Sherrill, New Jersey also found themselves with a new attorney general and chief law enforcement official for the New Jersey State Police. There’s been quite a bit of flux and new administrations have their priorities. A two-month stutter step on reporting? Maybe.
Some speculate that perhaps the new administration was going to sweep this project under the rug. However, one source indicated that it was potentially just an oversight, but that is speculative.
The current administration is only beholden to keep reporting on these things as long as Attorney General Directive 2023-02 is live. However, it only takes the action of a new directive to abolish the practice altogether. As NRA-ILA points out, that’s why it’s so crucial that this process becomes part of the statute.
If you’re a New Jersey resident, NRA-ILA urges you to weigh in. You can do so by heading to their “take action” page on this topic HERE.
Editor’s Note: The radical left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.
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