Some news tips came in about Wayne, New Jersey. A couple of applicants were willing to go on the record. One stated she applied for pistol purchase permits and they were not fulfilled for over nine months. Another has been waiting since October 2024. As has been covered before, applicants – especially ones that already have firearm identification cards – for any firearm related paperwork should not be caused to wait after the N.J. NICS/background check. Yet, there are jurisdictions taking forever.
The law in New Jersey is that permitting officials have 30 days to act on a so-called “completed” application for permits to purchase pistols or firearm identification cards. That timeline is extended by 15 days, up to 45 total for non-resident applicants.
On March 2, 2024, Kristy Klein applied for two permits to purchase handguns. Klein was already in possession of a N.J. firearms identification card and a N.J. State Bureau of Identification number. She’s “in the system.”
There were a number of mitigating factors and different issues with Wayne when it came to Klein’s application process. None of them were her fault.
Klein’s two references returned their questionnaires electronically through the Firearms Application & Registration System – or FARS – on March 3 and 5 respectively.
On March 22, 2024, Klein paid for her permits. Somehow, the department made a mistake. It was not until she called multiple times that she found out they did not have it noted that she was paid in full.
“I called several times between March and September, and it took that long for someone to figure out my application was never started because of nonpayment,” Klein said about the issues with Wayne.
Klein had to send in her proof of payment to the record department and did so on September 13, 2024. Had she not called multiple times to find out why the department was not processing her paperwork, would she still be waiting today?
On November 14, 2024, the permitting officer, Detective First Class Eugene Foster reached out to Klein. Detective Foster was alerting Klein that she was required to fill out an out of state mental health release form. Klein was not originally aware that this was required. Klein delivered the requested executed form on November 15, 2024.
A December 17, 2024 email came in alerting Klein that her permits were issued.
This is one story of the cascading failures in Wayne, New Jersey. If we wanted to give the department the benefit of doubt, let’s say the application was “complete” on September 13, the date Klein had to provide proof she paid for her permits. That’s still more than three months past the “completion” date and more than two months past the statutorily-defined time limit.
Regardless of snafus and other mitigating factors, a person applying for a pistol purchase permit in March should not have to wait until December to get their permits. The department should and could have very well contacted Klein, alerting her that there were issues with the application process in her case. There’s zero feedback mechanisms in the FARS system to let people know what’s going on or the status of their application with the local issuing authorities.
“When I moved to Wayne, it was four months for me to get [my firearms identification card],” Klein said in a statement. “And my boyfriend’s permit took six months and a phone call to the former chief. Neither one of us are new applicants, we’ve both been firearm ID card holders for 10 years.”
The only feedback loop for Wayne residents is calling in an automated system. Klein said that it takes you to a dead end and information recording. “If you call the voicemail for the firearms desk the automated voicemail will tell you what month they’re working on and it’s typically five to six months ago,” Klein noted. “There is no direct number unfortunately, at least that I have for the firearms help desk. Detective Foster’s phone number is in his emails.”
Another Wayne resident, Fuad M. Kiblawi also expressed that he’s having issues with permitting delays. “I’m still waiting on two permits filed [for at the] end of October, and [I] applied for two more over the weekend.”
Kiblawi’s application was dated October 29, 2024 and he stated his references returned back their questionnaires that day and the following day, respectively. He said that he made his payment on October 31.
“I started suspecting that maybe the payment didn’t go through,” Kiblawi said. “But I checked my credit card account and payment was made on October 31, 2024. $50.00 for permits, and [a] $1.48 fee.”
When Kiblawi reached out to Detective Foster, he said he received back a message about the “large amount of applications [he] receive[s] daily,” that it “will not be a quick turnaround, and could be up to several months.”
Kiblawi said that Foster further asserted, “Please no status update requests on your application, you will receive an email notification from the State when completed.“
“I just called the Wayne Township Police Department Firearms bureau at 973-633-3574, press 2 to check status, auto reply says that they’re working on permits to purchase for the month of September!” Kiblawi said of his most recent query on January 9. “That’s insane. It’s frustrating that they’re so slow and incompetent and there’s nothing [any]one can do. By the way, they’re working on carry permits in November. So they’re more behind on purchase permits which is crazy.”
Detective First Class Eugene Foster, Chief of Police Jack McNiff, and Mayor Christopher P. Vergano have all been contacted repeatedly for comment on this situation. They all failed to respond to requests for more information or clarity on the situation.
The permitting system in New Jersey is all electronic. The state handles the background check. Why any jurisdiction can’t issue out the paperwork regulating a Constitutional right immediately is not known. Wayne, New Jersey seems to have no excuse. Detective First Class Eugene Foster, Chief of Police Jack McNiff, and Mayor Christopher P. Vergano all refuse to address this problem when queried. In the meantime, residents of Wayne suffer due to the department’s inability to act in a timely manner, their incompetence, or perhaps this is out of malice.
