Now that the rules regarding concealed carry in New Jersey have changed, do you have any idea how many people are carrying in your town?

And since concealed carry permits have skyrocketed, do you ever wonder which town has jumped on the bandwagon the most?

Between December 2019 and June 2022, New Jersey handed out just 666 new gun carry permits—not counting renewals.

Then, boom! After the U.S. Supreme Court struck down some of the toughest gun control laws in June 2022, everything flipped.

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Canva / Townsquare Media illustration
Canva / Townsquare Media illustration
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From July 2022 to February 2023, an astonishing 32,465 new permits were issued. So now, over 33,000 people in New Jersey can legally carry a gun in most public spaces.

It’s been over a year since that huge Supreme Court decision, and the numbers show just how many folks in New Jersey are rushing to get their permits. New data from the state Attorney General’s Office highlights the big jump in carry permit applications after the ruling.

To put it into perspective, only 631 permits were approved in 2021, before the ruling. But last year alone? Nearly 20,000 permits got the green light.

Now, where are these people? The data also gives us a glimpse of where people are getting approved.

Toms River is leading the pack with 742 new permits from July 2022 to February 2023. Are you surprised? Wouldn’t you have thought it was something like Newark?

Good guess. Newark wasn’t far behind with 732, and Old Bridge landed third with 428 permits.

For a state known for having some of the strictest gun control laws in the country, this is a big shift. And it’s clear that many New Jersey residents are jumping on the opportunity to take advantage of the new regulations.

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Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only.

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