NJ gun permits are skyrocketing. These towns in Central Jersey issue the most
Thanks to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, the number of gun-carry permits issued in the Garden State has soared in the past two years, according to data released by the New Jersey Attorney General's Office.
The ruling at the end of the Supreme Court's term in June 2022 struck down a New York law that required citizens to prove they had "proper cause" to carry a handgun.
In 2021, the year before the ruling, 631 gun-carry permits were issued in New Jersey, a state with some of the strictest gun laws in the United States. That number went up to 19,933 in 2023, a 3,000% increase.
The data was recently released by the Attorney General's Office in an effort to make New Jersey residents more aware about the number of guns in the state, the office said in a statement.
“Transparency is a key component to enhancing public safety. The data available in this dashboard allows its users to gain an understanding of where in New Jersey the applications for permits to carry firearms is increasing,” said Attorney General Matthew Platkin.
Of the 33,380 gun permits issued in the state, the four Central Jersey counties – Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Union – accounted for 5,327. That was more than 1,000 less than the two counties with the most – Monmouth and Ocean – which had 6,586 permits approved, nearly a fifth of all 21 counties' total in the state.
The most gun permits issued per 10,000 residents were in Sussex and Warren counties.
In the four Central Jersey counties, the gun permits issued per 10,000 residents were Middlesex, 28; Somerset, 26; Hunterdon, 51; and Union, 28.
Middlesex County
Towns with the most gun permits:
Old Bridge, 433
Woodbridge, 382
Edison, 210
Monroe, 169
Piscataway, 150
Towns with the most gun permits per 10,000 residents:
Old Bridge, 64.75
Jamesburg, 63.98
South Amboy, 54.19
Milltown, 44.05
Middlesex Borough, 42.56
Towns with the least gun permits per 10,000 residents:
Plainsboro, 7.47
New Brunswick, 7.78
Helmetta, 8.15
Cranbury, 13.01
South River, 17.37
Somerset County
Towns with the most gun permits:
Hillsborough, 151
Bridgewater, 119
Warren, 93
North Plainfield, 75
Franklin, 62
More: Judge paves way for gun shop to open in Somerville
Towns with the most gun permits per 10,000 residents:
Millstone, 89.24
Far Hills, 86.58
Watchung, 75.98
Warren, 58.41
Green Brook, 48.07
Towns with the least gun permits per 10,000 residents:
Rocky Hill, 0
Montgomery, 2.11
Bernards, 8.62
Franklin, 9.07
Bound Brook, 20.58
Hunterdon County
Towns with the most gun permits:
Clinton Township, 93
Franklin Township, 53
Lebanon Township, 53
Tewksbury, 48
Readington, 44
Towns with the most gun permits per 10,000 residents:
Milford, 251.6
Hampton, 236.2
Frenchtown, 204.4
Bloomsbury, 164.1
Franklin, 162.2
Towns with the least gun permits per 10,000 residents:
Union, 0
Raritan Township, 0.9
Alexandria, 2.1
Kingwood, 2.6
Bethlehem, 5.3
Union County
Towns with the most gun permits:
Union, 188
Linden, 145
Plainfield, 113
Clark, 108
Hillside, 97
Towns with the most gun permits per 10,000 residents:
Clark, 69.48
Mountainside, 54.13
Kenilworth, 45.09
Garwood, 44.9
Hillside, 43.2
Towns with the least gun permits per 10,000 residents:
Elizabeth, 6.43
Springfield, 11.06
Roselle Park, 11.46
Summit, 15.41
New Providence, 19.78
Contributing: Juan Carlos Castillo of the Asbury Park Press
Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com
Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ gun permits soar. These towns in Central Jersey issue the most
