NJ GUN BUYING NOT AS EASY AS POLITICIANS SAY!
DISMAYED 1ST TIMERS LEARN THE HARD WAY!
by Ashley Cameron for Black Wire Media Friday Mar. 20, 2020 www.cnjfo.com/join-us
Many who have never considered firearms ownership - and even many who have previously railed against the right to do so, full of misinformation - are now worried about what may come, and are just beginning to feel the desire to “be prepared”... to plan for the defense of their loved ones and properties... Just in case.
They are finding, as they walk into a local gun shop, that buying a gun isn’t as easy as they had been told. Lots of folks, some of whom are former anti-gunners, are just NOW trying to buy their first gun. Armed with a headful of misinformation & propaganda about the ease of mail-order acquisition, GUN SHOW LOOPHOLES (that NEVER existed) and the like, utter frustration sets in as FFL's like Legacy Indoor Range & Armory's Melissa Deeney and Andrew Proctor patiently walk their new prospective customer through "THE PROCESS". Their Cinnaminson, NJ store had a line of customers form yesterday before they could put the key in the lock to open!
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"It’s wonderful for business, don’t get me wrong. But there are so many people who come in genuinely scared and we cannot help them". ---Andrew Proctor
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NICS (the NJ portal of the National INSTANT Criminal Background Check System) backlog is several days deep and festering with no end in sight, reminding us of conditions post Hurricane Sandy, and everyone that enters Legacy is told:
“Just so you know, there is a longer than usual queue for the NICS check... We have a line, and NICS has a bigger line. You won’t leave with something today... Do you have your Firearms ID ready to begin the process? Your purchase permit?”
A SMILE TURNS INTO A LOOK OF HOPELESSNESS!:
“No. What are those? I didn’t know I needed anything special... How do I get them?”
“You can apply for both at the same time, but you’ll have to go to your local PD and get the forms. You’ll need to fill them out, pay the fee, get fingerprinted, and then await the determination of your background check and references. It’s not supposed to take longer than 30 days, but it often does take longer.”
“But with everything going on, I want to be able to protect my family NOW! I thought I could just come in and buy a gun like they say on the news.”
“I’m sorry - those are the processes and rules every NJ firearm owner has had to follow for years. We can give you information, but we cannot sell you a gun.”
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NJ people are surprised to realize that they have no way to even think about protecting themselves. One lady even said “so what do you have here that I can protect myself with?” And my answer was hair spray and a lighter. ---Melissa Deeney
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When reached for comment, Legacy's Proctor & Deeney added, "They can’t buy firearms because they don’t have FID's (NJ Firearms Purchaser ID cards) and/or pistol permits (every pistol requires its own 4-part permit signed by the local Police Chief). They can’t get FID's because the PDs are closed to public. Even if they COULD get an FID / Permit - they can’t pick them up because the stations are closed to public".
This tells us at CNJFO that the work ANJRPC is doing to keep the permitting process up & running is truly needed (see yesterday's story Part Four w/ image of "DENIED" on our "Charlie-the-Perp" t-shirt)!
DESPERATION SETS-IN AS WE FACE THE UNKNOWN!
"My brain tries to educate them without being petty...but my heart hurts for them. Fear is real. And far too many are unwillingly helpless" ---Melissa Deeney
To learn more about CNJFO sponsor Legacy Indoor Range & Armory, go to: www.legacyindoorrangeandarmory.com . Without their help this article wouldn't exist. Remember to SHOP LOCAL with friends!
EDITOR's NOTE:
Ashley Cameron has been a gun owner for years. Prior to purchasing her first firearm, she got her start with training by Legacy Indoor Range & Armory's Melissa Deeney. Cameron and Deeney are both volunteers on NJ's DC Project led by CNJFO Communications Director and NJ DC Project Ambassador Theresa Inacker. Black Wire Media's Editor in-Chief Dave "Rosey" Rosenthal lent some "polish" to this story, but "the diamond in-the-ruff" was Ashley's post on her Facebook page after visiting Legacy! As such, we welcome her to our volunteer writing staff and hope you enjoy reading as much as we did! Please SHARE this helpful analysis to other concerned NJ residents thinking about a firearms purchase!
---The Editors
