PHILADELPHIA, PA (August 22, 2023) – Today, Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced the filing of its response brief with the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in its lawsuit challenging multiple aspects of the New Jersey gun control law passed to severely restrict the ability of those with carry permits from actually being able to carry their firearms in public. The brief is the latest step in New Jersey’s appeal after the district court judge ruled in favor of FPC and issued a preliminary injunction against multiple sections of the law. The brief in Koons v. Platkin can be viewed at FPCLaw.org.

“Simply put, New Jersey cites no regulation from the relevant era, or any era, that is similar to any challenged provision in ‘how and why’ it restricted the right [to] bear arms,” argues the brief. “And that makes sense, because the historical record shows that—outside of the three locations specified in Bruen where citizens could be prevented from going armed because government security provided self- defense for them—the tradition was to protect potentially vulnerable populations by arming them, not disarming them.”

“New Jersey’s post-Bruen carry law is one of the worst in the country, declaring vast swaths of the state as ‘sensitive places’ where peaceable permit holders in New Jersey are prevented from carrying their arms to be able to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their communities,” said Cody J. Wisniewski, General Counsel and Vice President of Legal for FPC Action Foundation, and FPC’s counsel. “It is incredibly important that the courts, including the Third Circuit, continue to recognize individuals’ natural right to self-defense outside the home and rule against New Jersey’s offensive and unconstitutional law.”

Individuals who would like to join the FPC Grassroots Army and support important pro-rights lawsuits and programs like these can sign up at JoinFPC.org. Individuals and organizations wanting to support charitable efforts in support of the restoration of Second Amendment and other natural rights can also make a tax-deductible donation to the FPC Action Foundation. For more on FPC’s lawsuits and other pro-Second Amendment initiatives, visit FPCLegal.org and follow FPC on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube.

Firearms Policy Coalition (firearmspolicy.org), a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization, exists to create a world of maximal human liberty, defend constitutional rights, advance individual liberty, and restore freedom. FPC’s efforts are focused on the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and adjacent issues including freedom of speech, due process, unlawful searches and seizures, separation of powers, asset forfeitures, privacy, encryption, and limited government. The FPC team are next-generation advocates working to achieve the Organization’s strategic objectives through litigation, research, scholarly publications, amicus briefing, legislative and regulatory action, grassroots activism, education, outreach, and other programs.

FPC Law (FPCLaw.org) is the nation’s first and largest public interest legal team focused on the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and the leader in the Second Amendment litigation and research space.