New Jersey gun permit requests skyrocket statewide since start of Israel-Hamas war
LAKEWOOD – Statewide requests for gun permits increased nearly 70 percent in the month following the start of the Israel-Hamas war, according to state data provided to the Asbury Park Press.
The New Jersey State Police received 21,822 online firearm permit requests between Oct. 7, 2023 — the first day of the war in the Middle East — and Nov. 7, 2023, according to Toms River Police Captain Christopher Anderson.
That is an increase of 69% compared to the same period last year when 12,903 applications were received, he said, citing data he obtained through the state police.
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“The October 7th terrorist attacks in Israel contributed to another recent surge,” Anderson said via email. “The numbers are still red hot compared to ‘normal years.’”
Toms River saw 583 online requests for firearm identification cards, permits to purchase handguns, or other administrative requests during the first month following the war’s launch, up from 220 during the same period in 2022, Anderson said.
“We’re getting slammed,” Toms River Police Chief Mitchell A. Little said via email.
Further north in Middletown in Monmouth County, the story is the same, according to Lt. John Soltysik of the Middletown Police Department. He reported 196 firearm permit requests in October and 144 in November, up from the usual average of 80 or 90 per month.
“We have definitely had an increase in numbers, it started in October,” he said.
The State Attorney General’s Office declined to comment on the permit request increase, while the New Jersey State Police did not respond to a request for comment.
Lakewood, which has the largest Orthodox population in the state, also reported an increase, according to Lakewood Police Chief Gregory Meyer.
“Ever since Israel was attacked we have seen a dramatic increase in gun permit applications as well as NJ concealed carry permits,” Meyer said via email, declining to offer specific data. “I think people saw what happened to unarmed citizens living in Israel and have decided to arm themselves for home and self-protection.”
We Shoot, a gun range store in Lakewood, reported a sales increase in recent weeks as well, according to co-owner Tony Altieri.
“There is definitely a big increase, and a lot of reasons,” he said in an interview. “One is the war in the Middle East.”
But he also pointed to legal changes dating back to 2022 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against a New York law that had restricted concealed carry permits to those showing a special need.
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The court ruled that such limitations violated the Second Amendment.
In late 2022, however, Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation that barred the possession of concealed weapons in certain public locations such as bars, beaches and public libraries in New Jersey.
Gun rights groups filed suit to block the legislation, portions of which have remained in place while an appeal is underway.
“People are afraid they will not be able to (purchase guns) in the future, people wanting to arm themselves and the legal concealed carry permits,” Altieri said.
Alexander Roubian, president and managing editor the New Jersey Second Amendment Society, said the increase is not surprising as people feel a need to protect themselves.
“People are waking up to the reality that the government has no legal obligation to protect you and you are your own first responder and you are responsible for protecting and defending your own life and loved ones,” he said.
But others, such as Thurman Barnes, assistant director of the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center at Rutgers University, offered caution.
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“I don’t know that it is something that can be considered good,” he said about the increased permit requests. “In the past, surges have occurred when people felt like they were less likely to purchase in the future. In this case, it is certainly possible that people are applying for permits because they feel threatened. We have seen this before. We saw a surge during the pandemic.”
Asked about the impact of more guns in the state, Barnes said, “There are some links that can be made to more guns and the likelihood of more violence. We are not here to advocate against guns, they are here to stay. We encourage people to secure their firearm safely and securely.”
Joe Strupp is an award-winning journalist with 30 years’ experience who covers education and several local communities for APP.com and the Asbury Park Press. He is also the author of three books, including Killing Journalism on the state of the news media, and an adjunct media professor at Rutgers University and Fairleigh Dickinson University. Reach him at jstrupp@gannettnj.com and at 732-413-3840. Follow him on Twitter at @joestrupp
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Israel-Hamas war blamed for major spike in NJ gun permit applications
