New Lawsuit Challenging
NJ Handgun Carry Ban
By TTAG Staff Writer. November 2, 2020
Today, Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC), Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), and New Jersey Second Amendment Society (NJ2AS) announced the filing of a new federal lawsuit challenging the State of New Jersey's laws that prevent individuals from carrying a loaded handgun outside of the home for self-defense. This new lawsuit challenges New Jersey's criminal statutory scheme as it relates to carrying loaded, operable handguns outside of the home without a permit as well as the State's regulatory scheme as it relates to applications for and issuance of carry permits. The case, Bennett v. Davis, can be viewed at FPCLegal.org.
New Jersey law makes it a crime for a law-abiding individual to carry a loaded handgun outside of the home unless they have been issued a permit to carry a handgun, thus denying them their right to bear arms. Worse, State law prevents them from obtaining such a permit because of further unconstitutional requirements, such as the demonstration of "justifiable need", among others.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has previously said that "private citizens should not be able to carry weapons based on mere generalized fear." However, say the plaintiffs, the Supreme Court's precedents take that policy choice off the table, and the Constitution itself provides the only justification necessary for law-abiding adults to exercise their fundamental, individual right to bear arms.
"This case is fundamentally a simple but important one," said attorney for the plaintiffs, Raymond DiGuiseppe. "In New Jersey today, the right to carry loaded handguns in public for all lawful purposes, including self defense, is completely denied to law-abiding people, like and including our clients."
.... 
Governor Murphy one can expect has his own personal armed guards, like so many 'dignitaries' - as for the state citizen, he/she of course does not matter and is deprived of a means for effective self defense. "Justifiable need" has nothing to do with 'fear', it is as simple as liberty and an inherent right. A copy of the SAF law suit can be accessed here.
