TRENTON — Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin today issued two firearms-related directives to law enforcement. The first is a directive aimed at collecting anonymous information on processed permit to carry handgun applications in order to guide data-driven policymaking and resource allocation, as well as publicly provide information that is in the public’s interest, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s year-old decision expanding the right to carry a firearm in public. The second is an amendment to a 2008 Attorney General directive to expedite the submission of ballistics evidence gathered at crime scenes to forensic labs in order to increase the probability of solving gun crimes. 

Under Directive 2023-02, all law enforcement agencies responsible for processing applications for permits to carry handguns will be required to report anonymized data on completed applications to the Attorney General’s Office, dating back three years, to December 2019, and continuing indefinitely. The reporting will occur every month to ensure the data being analyzed is current and complete. In the interim, the New Jersey State Police (NJSP) will create a centralized web portal for the issuance of permits to carry handguns. Once that portal is implemented, the interim reporting requirement for local law enforcement will sunset and the NJSP will provide the anonymized data to the Attorney General’s Office. The directive also requires reporting of anonymized data related to firearms identification cards and permits to purchase firearms. Such reporting will be prospective and occur monthly.

Collecting and analyzing data of this magnitude will assist in creating data-driven policy to enhance public safety across the state, as well as informing efficiency in administration and resource allocation pertaining to processing applications for permits to carry handguns. And importantly, it provides the Attorney General’s Office the opportunity to present the anonymized information in a dynamic, forward facing, and transparent way to assist the public in understanding the impact of the N.Y. State Rifle & Pistol Assoc. v. Bruen decision, as well as the new gun laws enacted by Governor Phil Murphy following the disheartening decision, which set commonsense safeguards to protect our communities against senseless acts of gun violence.

“Law enforcement is now the ultimate decision maker in approving or denying applications for permits to carry handguns, and we must be aware of the impact,” said Attorney General Platkin. “By implementing these reporting procedures, we will gain better insight into the effect of a higher prevalence of handguns being carried in New Jersey due to the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision, and be able to implement public safety policy that is data-informed.”

The Attorney General also issued today an amendment to Law Enforcement Directive 2008-01, that expedites the timing required to submit ballistics-related evidence seized and recovered at crime scenes to a forensic laboratory that has the ability to analyze the evidence through the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), run by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

The original directive called upon law enforcement across the State to respond to gun violence through intelligence-led policing. Through the directive, the NJSP established the NJ Trace System, linking various already-established law enforcement databases to assist in identifying critical information related to recovered or seized firearms and related ballistics evidence, such as shell casings.

Today’s revision imposes a deadline of two business days for law enforcement to submit ballistics evidence to a NIBIN-capable forensic laboratory in order to more quickly determine whether a weapon is related to any other criminal incident or individual.

“Timely information gathering and sharing is critical to our ongoing efforts to combat gun violence. This office has long recognized the importance of intelligence-driven violence suppression efforts,” said Attorney General Platkin. “The success of our gun violence reduction efforts depends on effective information-sharing and the timely entry and analysis of ballistics evidence.”

The directives take effect immediately.

“The ability to anonymously track data on the issuance of concealed carry permits is a necessary step to be able to accurately quantify permits that are approved and issued,” said Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. “While it is important to keep data on legally carried firearms, the mission of removing illegal guns from our neighborhoods continues. Creating a time sensitive requirement for the submission of ballistic evidence to NIBIN will drastically expedite the process of linking guns to previous crimes and offenders. Holding criminals accountable for their actions will always be a top priority.”

“We applaud the New Jersey Attorney General for taking steps to ensure that his office, law enforcement officials, and the people of New Jersey have access to the information they need to develop and implement common-sense gun safety laws that will keep New Jersey communities safe,” said Sam Levy, Regional Legal Director of Everytown for Gun Safety. “Requiring all agencies to report data related to firearm permits is a smart, proactive public safety measure that continues New Jersey’s national leadership in the gun safety movement. We’re grateful for this new initiative and look forward to seeing it get put to lifesaving use.”

The directives announced today enhance the Attorney General’s comprehensive and multifaceted statewide effort to reduce gun violence. Last year, the Attorney General created the Statewide Affirmative Firearms Enforcement Office (SAFE), the first-of-its-kind Office of any state in the country, focusing on holding firearms industry members accountable for violations of the law that harm the health and safety of New Jerseyans.

In September of last year, Attorney General Platkin founded the Division of Violence Intervention and Victim Assistance (VIVA) bringing together services for victims with violence intervention and prevention programming—community-based violence intervention and hospital-based violence intervention—designed to interrupt cycles wherein violent crimes trigger acts of retaliation and escalation in communities with high incidences of gun violence.

Attorney General Platkin also expanded his Gun Violence Reduction Task Force, a statewide intelligence-sharing operation led by our State Police and the Division of Criminal Justice. This task force works around the clock to effectively identify and prosecute violent recidivists in collaboration with federal state, and county law enforcement partners.

The Attorney General’s Office has been using every available tool to address the scourge of gun violence through innovative programming, defending commonsense gun laws, and implementing polices to enhance public safety, and the two directives announced today add to that important work.

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