Since the landmark ruling from the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals overturned New Jersey’s so-called “assault weapons” ban and magazine capacity limitations law, everyone’s been asking, “What’s next?”
The case Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs v. Attorney General was decided by the Third Circuit Friday, July 17 and it sent shockwaves across the country. The case is part of a three-case consolidation including Cheeseman v. Attorney General and Ellman v. Attorney General. The cases answered whether or not the government could place categorical bans on arms such as the AR-15 and if they could limit magazine capacity. The court found New Jersey’s laws on both issues to be unconstitutional.
The response from New Jersey gun owners has ranged from bliss to some saying, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” Social media flooded with posters noting firearms have been recovered from boating accidents, some gun owners unpinned magazines, and there are even videos of people shooting AR-style firearms with magazines holding more than 10 rounds—all in acts of celebratory defiance.
Then there are the people waiting on the sidelines trying to figure out what this all means right now. In the wake of NYSRPA v. Bruen, then-Attorney General Matthew Platkin put out a directive the day after the decision came down. That directive ordered all law enforcement agencies to no longer enforce New Jersey’s justifiable need standard when taking permit to carry applications.
That kind of guidance did not come from the current Attorney General’s office. Attorney General Jennifer Davenport did take to social media to make a statement, but fell short of giving any guidance. There were no press releases issued and there remains none at the time of publication.
“The question that comes up is what’s next? So we need the court to put this order in,” NRA Institute for Legislative Action Executive Director John Commerford said on Cam and Co Monday. “It will go back to the district level to actually implement the order from the Third Circuit, and we also need to go back to the district level to argue so-called assault pistols and shotguns.”
Bearing Arms was sent a copy of an email the New Jersey State Police sent out to FFL holders in the state. The email, also obtained by our friends over at AmmoLand News, said that guidance will be forthcoming.
“We are aware of the Third Circuit’s decision in ANJRPC v. Platkin, which is effective July 31, 2026,” the email states. “We are working with the Office of the Attorney General to develop practical guidance for New Jersey residents and businesses in light of that decision.”
In response to a request for comment, Attorney General Davenport’s office corroborated what the New Jersey State Police stated. “The Third Circuit’s decision is effective July 31, 2026,” a spokesperson for the Attorney General wrote. “The Office of the Attorney General is currently working on guidance to inform both the law enforcement community and the public about the effect of the decision.”
Where exactly the July 31 date is coming from, is not known. There’s been no further explanation if that’s when the court will be issuing an order or some other procedural maneuver. Opinions vary on the enforceability of the law at this time. No one can or would blame anyone for taking more conservative moves at this time.
The topic of these lawsuits was fully explored on a recent podcast hosted by William Kirk from Washington Gun Law. Kirk had an all-star cast of characters on his show including NRA-ILA’s Joe Greenlee, New Jersey Firearms Owners Syndicate and NRA-ILA’s Joe LoPorto, and Second Amendment Foundation’s Kostas Moros.
“I think there’s certainly a concern in the state that there could be some legislative response to however this plays out,” LoPorto said. “I certainly think that the state will … try to preserve as much of its law as they possibly can, but inevitably the legislature will weigh in at some point.” LoPorto noted that the Garden State is in a legislative recess right now.
“Unless the governor calls an emergency session, we won’t hear from the legislature in terms of what they may or may not have in the hopper, but I certainly suspect that after November we’re likely to see some flurry of legislation being drafted and introduced,” LoPorto said.
As far as the breadth of what the court says is unconstitutional, Kirk mused if New Jersey would try to find a workaround.
“I think it clearly covers all of them,” Greenlee said about what’s considered constitutionally protected. “I think if, let’s say New Jersey responded by enacting a different kind of ban on the same weapons — external feature, they would be scolded. I guess I’ll say not treated super favorably by the court. The Third Circuit took kind of a broad view of the class of arms, kind of like Heller. Dick Heller had a nine-shot Buntline revolver. Heller didn’t say all these nine-shot Buntline revolvers are in common use. It said handguns.”
People in New Jersey—gun owners—are waking to the reality that liberty is being restored to the Garden State. Many people have lived their entire lives under the yoke of these draconian gun control laws in some form or fashion. Pair that with just getting repatriated with their carry rights only a few short years ago, many are still in disbelief.
“I mean, I think you could chalk it up to a degree of Stockholm syndrome at this point,” LoPorto explained. “You know, there’s this sort of unwillingness to accept good news here.”
New Jersey and the country at large are going to benefit from this decision for generations to come. Coming at the heels of this decision is a decision in the consolidated Koons and Siegel v. Platkin cases. Those cases were heard en banc in February and it’s quite likely an opinion comes as early as later on this week.
For more information about the monumental deconstruction of gun control in New Jersey, keep your eyes peeled for today’s Cam and Co. Cam is having attorney Daniel Schmutter on to discuss the case. Schmutter litigated ANJRPC’s case at the district court level and is one of the association’s attorneys.
Editor’s Note: The radical Left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.
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