The number of home-based firearms retailers in the Garden State has increased by 40 percent over the past five years, and the number of gun dealers is growing faster in New Jersey than in all but three other states—Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina—according to an analysis of federal data and property records by NJ Advance Media.
So, what accounts for the growth of firearms commerce in a state whose leaders historically have been so hostile to firearms ownership? According to Robert Teodorczy, who operates Cheyenne Gunsmith & Firearms in Manville, N.J., “Because New Jersey makes it harder for you to get a gun, it makes people more determined to get a gun.”
Indeed, a decade ago, in 2005, about 36,000 National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) checks were conducted on firearms purchasers in New Jersey. By November of this year, that figure had already almost doubled, to 70,000.
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