Text of Governor Christie, allow concealed carry of firearms for self defense! petition at change.org, which has garnered 11,399 signatories at the time of writing:
The terrorists in Paris yesterday executed innocent civilians, and not one person fired back. They have no right to keep and bear arms in France, like our 2nd Amendment here in the USA. No law abiding citizen was able to step up to stop the violence. The same attack could happen here in New Jersey . . .
Despite the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution stating ” the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed,” law abiding citizens are barred from carrying a firearm outside their homes in New Jersey by an unconstitutional requirement of “justifiable need.”
Such a vague statement allows State of New Jersey officials to decide, based on their feelings, whether or not a law abiding citizen meets the “justifiable need” to carry a firearm. Self defense is not considered a justifiable need. Currently, well over 40 states actively issue concealed carry permits to their constituents. Those states show a documented decrease in violent crime versus states that violate residents rights (fbi.gov).
Therefore, in light of the above, I call on Gov. Christie to issue an executive order defining the meaning of justifiable need adding self defense as a justifiable need to carry a firearm. The simple action by the Governor of defining what constitutes “justifiable need” will allow the citizens of New Jersey the ability to defend themselves and their families, as well as those around them, from any type of deadly attack. [h/t JE]