NRA Applauds Attorneys General Amicus Brief on NJ Permit Case; Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost Among Signers

Fairfax, Va. - The National Rifle Association today applauded an amicus brief signed by twenty-three attorneys general in support of Rogers v. Grewal, an NRA-backed Supreme Court case challenging New Jersey's unconstitutional requirements for obtaining a handgun carry permit. The effort was led by Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich.

“Law-abiding citizens should not be required to prove they are in peril to receive the government's permission to exercise a constitutionally protected right," said Chris W. Cox, executive director of NRA's Institute for Legislative Action. "Twenty-three of America’s highest-ranking law enforcement officers have come together to support the constitutional right to self-defense because they understand that restricting the rights of law-abiding gun owners puts the good guys at risk and fails to impede criminal behavior."

The law at issue requires New Jersey residents to show a "justifiable need" or "good reason" when applying for a firearm permit. The overly restrictive and time-consuming process has resulted in the deaths of innocent people, most notably in the tragic murder of Carol Bowne.

Thirty-nine year old Carol Bowne of Berlin, New Jersey, was being stalked and threatened by an ex-boyfriend. Bowne applied for a firearm permit 43 days before her death. The permit was never issued and Bowne was brutally stabbed to death by the same ex-boyfriend in her own driveway.

Rogers v. Grewal is awaiting consideration from the Supreme Court. A copy of the brief can be viewed here.

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Statement from Attorney General Dave Yost

(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost joins an Arizona brief to the Supreme Court challenging a New Jersey law that unconstitutionally limits the ability of law-abiding citizens to carry a gun outside their home.

Attorney General Yost said:

“Everyday people shouldn't have to prove to the government that they ‘need’ to exercise their right to freedom of speech – or any other constitutional right, including the Second Amendment.”