WEST MILFORD JOINS N.J. EFFORT TO NULLIFY CARRY PERMIT FEES
Posted on: Mar 09, 2026
BELLEVUE, WA – The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is congratulating the community of West Milford, N.J. for becoming the 18th municipality in the Garden State to refund all or part of fees required to obtain a carry permit under a project launched by CCRKBA, the National Rifle Association and New Jersey Firearm Owners Syndicate.
"Seeing this historic movement continue in my home state of New Jersey, an anti-liberty viper pit, shows that progress can be made anywhere," said CCRKBA Director John Petrolino. "The Committee having this opportunity to work alongside great organizations like the NRA-ILA and NJFOS in this shared initiative only further galvanizes these relationships for the better good of the Second Amendment at large. I certainly look forward to seeing these groups — and others — join us in future projects as we usher in a new era of firearms advocacy."
“We’re delighted at the progress we’ve made with this effort,” added CCRKBA Executive Director Andrew Gottlieb. “Since starting the project last year, we’ve been able to bring municipalities in eight New Jersey counties on board, and we’re working on expanding the program even more. What’s really significant is that West Milford was the first community in New Jersey to declare itself a ‘Second Amendment sanctuary’ back in December 2019, and this week’s action underscores that decision.”
New Jersey statute requires permit holders to renew their permits every two years for $200, of which $150 goes directly to the issuing municipality, with the other $50 going to the state. The state adopted this stiff fee in response to the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling in the Bruen case, and it has become known as the “carry killer” law. A three-judge panel at the state’s Third Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the state’s $50 portion of the permit fee last September. CCRKBA submitted an amicus brief in that case. Even before that, towns across the state started rejecting their share of the fees, returning the money to permit holders.
“We’ve been impressed with the municipal leaders who have joined in this effort,” Gottlieb said. “They realize the fees were always designed to discourage New Jersey citizens from even applying for carry permits, and it is gratifying to watch this process unfold. We’re encouraged by how well this refund idea has been received.”
With more than 650,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (www.ccrkba.org) is one of the nation's premier gun rights organizations. As a non-profit organization, the Citizens Committee is dedicated to preserving firearms freedoms through active lobbying of elected officials and facilitating grass-roots organization of gun rights activists in local communities throughout the United States.