Gun Permit Applications Quadruple in Anti-Gun New Jersey After Riots

Applications for first-time gun owners in New Jersey have surged fourfold during the national race riots of summer 2020, with residents of the notoriously anti-gun state looking to arm themselves in response to national events.

New Jersey arguably has the most restrictive and draconian state gun control laws in the country. The state requires permits for gun ownership that are submitted to towns and cities, with the state police having the authority to deny gun ownership on critics argue are simply arbitrary grounds.

The Burlington Country Times is reporting that some New Jersey municipalities have reported a whopping 1,000% increase in applications for gun permits.

At least one gun shop owner is citing a reaction to left-wing activity and crime as a cause in the interest in gun ownership.

“People have specifically mentioned the protests,” said Joe Hawk, owner of the Guns & Roses gun shop in Toms River. “People are telling us the same thing over and over again, they are literally panicked. They’re mentioning the taboo words, which of course are revolution…socialism, communism.”

New Jersey Democrat Governor Phil Murphy had tried to shut down every gun store in the state as a coronavirus lockdown measure earlier in the year, perhaps spurring the increase in gun sales. His backdoor gun control attempt was shut down when the Department of Homeland Security labeled firearm stores to be essential retailers, with Murphy reversing the policy.

Gun industry experts have also reported that gun sales are surging in California, another Democrat state nationally known for its punitive laws against firearm ownership.