Berkeley Residents Urge Council To Refund Concealed Carry Permit Fees

BERKELEY, NJ — Berkeley Township residents urged local officials to refund municipal fees tied to concealed carry permits, arguing that the cost has become too high for some applicants.

Councilman Jim Byrnes said the issue had come to his attention after he applied himself. Byrnes said there is “an initial fee, I think, of $50 and an additional fee of 150 or so.” He said the township should review those charges and “reduce it to the administrative” cost. Byrnes said “that other fee is just a tax on your gun.”

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According to the township website, fees are:

• $25 per permit
• $50 Initial firearm identification card
• $150 Carry permit (paid online through Berkeley Township's payment link)

The website notes that these are set at the state level and not by the township.

Michael Glenn, a Lacey resident, came to speak on behalf of gun owners. He said that prices of permits had gone up "400 percent."

"What we're asking for is a refund of the fee," he said.

Keith Durgan said he is 70 years old and on a fixed income. He said he has had a carry permit for three years and may not be able to afford the next renewal.

Durgan said the expense has become a burden at home as well.

“I waited my whole life to get a carry permit. I’ve had one for three years, and I’m probably going to get priced out into the next one,” he said.

Another speaker, Tony Rockhill of Beachwood, also asked the township to lower its fee. Rockhill said concealed carry permits once involved a $50 payment to the state and court review, but the process changed after “the Bruen decision.”

He referred to the Supreme Court decision in 2022 that protected the right to carry a gun in public for self-defense.

He said applicants now face additional local costs and other expenses, including classes and use-of-force requirements.

Rockhill said residents were asking to have the municipal portion brought “under $50 at this point.” Towns including Toms River, South Toms River, Beachwood, Plumsted and Jackson had already refunded fees, he said.