According to Firearmchronicles
Murphy’s push for higher fees in his proposed state budget follows a series of bills he’s signed adding new restrictions to gun laws that were already some of the toughest in the nation.
The move also comes as some are pushing back against restrictions, especially after recent attacks like the Jersey City shooting left many feeling vulnerable.
Murphy is asking lawmakers to raise the cost of a $2 gun application to $50, and a firearm ID card from $5 to $100, according to the state’s treasury department.
The Democratic governor also proposed a 2.5% tax on firearms and a 10% tax on ammunition.
Murphy said Tuesday that raising the cost of handgun permits especially would improve public safety. “These fees are meant to cover the costs of State Police background checks on prospective gun buyers — and, right now, they don’t come close to doing so,” he said during his annual budget address. (The State Police did not immediately respond to questions about the costs of their checks.) All but one fee hasn’t increased since 1966, officials said. The FBI background check fee concerns a system that wasn’t created until the 1990s.
The change would bring in $8.5 million every year, according to Jennifer Sciortino, a spokeswoman for the treasury department.