N.J. Gov. Phil Murphy looking to expand the list of ‘sensitive places’ where handguns are banned

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order Friday directing state departments and agencies to determine steps they can take to prevent gun violence, fearing a surge of legal guns in the public sphere following Thursday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling on gun restrictions.

New Jersey residents looking to obtain a permit to carry a handgun in public will no longer need to show they have a “justified need” as part of the application process after the court struck down a similar New York law that required people to show they had “proper cause” to carry handguns in public for self-defense.

Measures the Garden State could take in response include controlling how firearms are transported and carried, as well as taking additional steps to protect existing “sensitive spaces” such as schools.

» READ MORE: The Supreme Court’s gun ruling impacts New Jersey’s concealed-carry laws. Here’s what to know.

Murphy, who called the Supreme Court decision “a recipe for tragedy,” said he is also working with legislative partners to expand the list of sensitive spaces.

The governor hopes to add places with a high density of people, such as amusement parks, bars, and restaurants where alcohol is served to the list. Locations with vulnerable populations, such as childcare facilities and nursing homes, and places where people might be taking part in First Amendment activities, such as polling places, are also top priorities.

“Because New Jersey has had very strict limits on carrying firearms in public until this opinion, we have very few places where the carrying of firearms is prohibited by law,” said Murphy. “Going forward, this is no longer tenable.”

Murphy wants the legislature to pass bills that would bar firearms from being carried onto private property without express permission by the owner. This would apply to private homes, places of worship, and businesses.

Another way to strengthen gun safety measures would be to require gun owners to buy liability insurance if carrying in public, the way car owners have to buy similar protection, said New Jersey’s acting Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin.

» READ MORE: How gun laws in New Jersey work: Licenses, permits, open carry, concealed carry

But while the legislature determines how gun safety can be strengthened as it becomes easier to carry a handgun in public, Platkin said other components of the concealed carry application remain in place. This includes three character references and a gun safety certification.

Platkin issued a directive Friday to state law enforcement agencies, which process concealed carry permit applications, reiterating that permits are still required in order to carry handguns in public.

New Jersey and New York aren’t the only states having to rethink permitting restrictions. A handful of states, including California and Rhode Island, must do the same. The Garden State’s neighbor Pennsylvania does not have such a rule.