Firearm ownership is finally going mainstream in states like New Jersey. As the fundamental right to keep, and now bear, arms in the Garden State is being exercised more and more, it’s paving the way to normalcy. Last year we chatted with Judi Franco, a popular radio host from the NJ 101.5 Dennis and Judi show. Franco told us about her then-budding interest in firearms and subsequent first purchase. Before leaving off with Franco last September, she told us, “I want to be able to carry that little baby wherever I’m allowed to carry it.” We’ve followed up with Franco and got the deets.

In starting my conversation with Franco, I summarized our last interview:

After the 2022 New York State Rifle Pistol Association versus Bruen decision, you became aware that the laws regulating firearms in New Jersey were going to start to change a little bit, and they were going to change for the better. 

And your interest, and this is, you know, based on our conversation, you said your interest in firearms maybe came from your natural rebellious nature, and especially since they make it so difficult in New Jersey, it only makes sense. 

But really, after that, your interest really took off, even more due to the rise in anti-Semitism that's been going on around the country and in New Jersey. 

So back around the spring of 2023 you started your journey to get trained and to become a gun owner, and by summer's end, you had purchased your first firearm. 

Does that sound like I hit all of the high notes so far?

“You actually know the history of my life better than I know it myself,” Franco joked. “Yes. Yes.”

One of the things we discussed previously was that Franco wanted to pull some more of her family members into the fold. She noted that one of her daughters was interested and that Franco eventually wanted to get her grandchildren involved.

“It's been such a busy summer that I have not even been able to be at the range as much as I would like to, but she promised me that as soon as the fall comes around and her kids are back in school, that we're going to do that together,” Franco said when I asked her if she and her daughter had done any shooting lately.

Franco continued:

As far as the grandkids go, that's going to be a little bit of work because there is that…their moms, my grandkids moms both are like, “No. Kids shouldn't be near guns.” And as I think I mentioned to you that was kind of how I grew up, too. So I want them to be comfortable. And when they do feel that way, I will definitely encourage them. But my daughter, yeah, I'm dying for us to go [and] get into that together…to get to the range together.

When I asked Franco about her husband, who has been supportive overall of Franco’s journey, but rather hands-off, she explained it could be a noise thing. “It's really the noise from indoor [ranges] he tells me all the time,” Franco noted. “He always says, ‘As soon as you shoot outside, I will go with you outdoors.’ So he's really, he's kind of interested in it, and I think even more so now that he sees how comfortable I am and how much I enjoy it as a hobby.” I told Franco, “I know a guy,” for when she’s ready to hit an outdoor range with the husband.

A year later, it seems like Franco has changed the temperature on firearms in her family a little. In our last interview Franco revealed a little about the attitudes toward her newfound hobby turning lifestyle. “I still thought my kids were afraid, [asking], ‘Mom, why do you need to do this?’ You know? And my husband wasn't into the idea. So yeah, there was that hesitation of, ‘Am I sure I really want to do this?’”

Prior to our interview on August 14th, the last time Franco and I spoke was in June. Franco had hinted at having applied for a permit to carry in New Jersey then, and I was curious as to what her status was since the two months passed. 

“So my status right now is, I am currently the holder of a concealed carry weapons permit in New Jersey, and I've had [it] for about a month now,” Franco told me. “I was so, so excited that I even had the opportunity to do it, and when I held that little card in my hand, I cannot even tell you, because it was always something that for so many years I thought would be impossible in this state.”

“I'll be honest with you, I have not had the opportunity to carry yet, but, um, but I can,” Franco admitted to me.

One of the things she said – coincidently the same day of our 2nd interview – on the Dennis and Judi show makes sense, but does reveal maybe a little apprehension, “I only got it just because they kept saying I couldn't get it, right…? I'm never going to carry it.”

Franco going from being slightly interested in firearms, owning a firearm, and then getting a permit to carry in the Garden State all over the course of a year and a few months is a big deal. 

While the reality of being able to be lawfully armed sets in, we’ll have to see if Franco does start to fully exercise her right to bear arms. She indicated she’s ready to get another firearm soon, so it’s likely Franco, like many who scratch the itch, will continue down the Second Amendment/gun-owning rabbit hole.

I asked Franco about any message she has for those who are apprehensive towards getting started in learning about guns and she said:

You can't believe how many people say to me, “I think it's great that you did it, but I would never do it.” And, I really don't understand that mentality. I just do not want people to be afraid…

I have another piece of advice for people who say, “It's good for you, but it's not good for me.” Try it once. Try it once, because it's a sport too. Forget about the fact that I want to be able to defend myself, I want to be able to exercise my Second Amendment rights. But it's a sport, and you'll never know how good you could be at it and how fulfilling it can be. 

I'm ready to buy my second gun. How about that?

Part of the N.J. permit to carry application process includes a possible interview with the issuing authority. “The chief police officer, or the superintendent, as the case may be, shall interview the applicant and the persons endorsing the application under subsection b. of this section,” N.J. Stat. § 2C:58-4c.(4) states. The authority will “make inquiry concerning, and investigate to the extent warranted, whether the applicant is likely to engage in conduct that would result in harm to the applicant or others…”

When Franco was told about having to participate in such an interview, her first reaction was understandable, “I was all defensive, and they're going to ask me, ‘Why do I want to have the firearm?’ And I'm going to say, ‘Because I want to exercise my 2A rights.’” Franco said the process was not what she imagined, observing that “when I met with our chief of police, he was so kind and so supportive, and I could tell that he was not one of these guys, and I know that you'll find a lot of them who are so against their citizenry carry.”

Franco said the interview was not a bad thing to go through and she “didn’t find it offensive,” her chief did note something that’s important to highlight. “I'm not going to make any comment about whether or not I think it's the right thing to have this interview,” the chief said. “But to be honest with you, I like to know who's carrying in town.” 

The understanding that there’s a statute requiring the interview and whether or not there should be an interview seems to be present. Although, the chief could opt to not interview at all, but that’s a digression.

Overall, Franco said the process wasn’t that bad to apply for the permit. “I went on a Sunday to do my training, I took a five-hour course, which is extremely comprehensive. I did it at WeShoot in Lakewood,” Franco said. “They give a little written test afterwards, and then that same day, I had to qualify with the firearm that I was using.”

When it came to doing the qualification, at first, Franco said she was nervous. She requested to do the qual first with a rimfire, just to get in some practice. “I was so nervous and so scared that I was going to choke,” Franco said. “Of course, I did it with my own gun, and of course, I was fine.”

The day after completing the training and qualification, Franco submitted her paperwork. “Within a week, I got a call back from my town saying ‘we just had a couple of questions,’ very technical stuff. I left out a signature here, something like that,” Franco explained. “I think it was two weeks later, they asked me for an interview. I went in a week later. So from beginning to end, the whole process was about a month.”

Franco talked about the process some more and gave some advice to those on the sidelines:

I encourage people to do it, even somebody who is on the sidelines. This [is] why I keep bothering my husband about it. Because at first he was so against it, and then he [would say], “Really, you think so?” And now, [I say], “You're on the sidelines. Once on the sidelines, you need to jump in…” especially in this state, because that's what made me jump.

The minute they give me a tiny bit, the opening of a needle, I am flying through that, because you never know what's going to happen…Especially now, in an election year, things could change so rapidly.

So I think anybody who is on the fence, that's as good as being in there, get in there now. And I cannot stress that enough things change so rapidly…get in there. 

My former interview with Franco was on September 11th, 2023. “I don't want to take a political turn, so I'm not really doing that here,” I said to Franco. “But there is something that I think we do need to talk about a little bit…this is a little bit of a somber turn.”

My conversation with Franco continued:

Something that you said to me that kind of stuck out to me was you talk about seeing pictures of, say, the Holocaust, and paired with the perception that the Jewish community is made up of pacifists…and you said that it “haunts you,” and you stated that “nobody's afraid of us.” And you asserted “we're not violent people, but we are not weak.” I think that's very important to put out there that you said that.

Taking that into consideration and your own journey, to get armed, what are your thoughts about what transpired in Israel only weeks after you and I last talked? Maybe about the importance of being armed, anything there?

“It's unbelievable that we met so close to October 7th, because we had discussed this issue about the Jewish community and the rise in anti-Semitism, and that was before October 7th,” Franco confided. “So now, after the attacks by Hamas on Israel, I of course, was emboldened even more, and I went to WeShoot, just to practice on the 8th of October, and the place was packed.”

Franco continued:

The guys were like, “Oh my gosh, Judi!” I said, “Were you guys giving something away?” There were lines. And he said, “We told people don't wait until something bad happens. And people did.”

The first thing I want to say, just related to politics and what you were talking about is that, since we don't know what's going to happen, as in the future is always a mystery to us, and especially depending on what happens in an election year…do not wait until something happens.

Who would have ever thought of October 7th?

And now, I told you before, when I go to the range, I see so many Jewish people who may have been either anti-gun or had no opinion at all, who are [saying], “No, never again means really, never again. We're not going to let this happen to us again.” So I was emboldened, as I know many, many other Jews were by October 7th. It's, I'm sorry that it had to be that that motivated so many people, but I am thrilled to know that my community is safer today than they were prior to October 7th.

Before parting with Franco, I wanted to know if she had any other message at large to share with readers and viewers. “Is there anything that you would like to share that maybe I've left out,” I asked Franco…”about all of this, big picture, anything in general?”

Franco probably said the most important thing from our interview next. Yes, her journey that we’re chronicling is an important one. What’s also important are the geopolitics of why New Jersey is the way it is, and how it can continue to be a civil-liberty wasteland. 

“I am extremely concerned about what Phil Murphy…and not to get too political,” Franco said…“It happens [that] our administration here in New Jersey is very anti-Second Amendment, probably the worst in the country, second worst, maybe.”

“I'm very disturbed about not just the fact that they're looking for any way to deprive us of our rights, but the fact that people don't know that.” – Judi Franco on the N.J. political ruling class

Franco continued and got real frank:

So it's one thing, if you have a government that is evil, that are dictators – and I'm not calling them evil or dictators…Dennis, I leave that to Dennis – over who wants to take away your rights. That's one thing. But when you have a constituency that doesn't even know that, that's upsetting to me.

It's important for me to get this message out to people who live in my state and other states that would deprive you of your rights, any of your Constitutional rights…Know your rights because they will try to take them away from you the minute you blink. Know Your Rights.

And every day, you gotta check on these laws, in particular, the Second Amendment laws in New Jersey. They're changing every day. Tomorrow, they'll tell you “you can't carry here.” The next day, they'll say “you can't carry here,” and it's like the frog in the boiling water. 

Before you know it, you [have] no rights anymore. 

Not only do we have to fight against intrusive governments, but we also have to know they're being intrusive. So many people don't even know that, John.

My thirty minutes with Judi went quick. I think by the time we finished, we both had a “that was it?” kind of feeling and look on our faces. But in reality, we covered a lot of ground and hit a pile of important topics.

I don’t know the next time I’ll be following up with Franco to talk to her about her Second Amendment journey on the record, but I wouldn’t be shocked if she told us that she’s started actively carrying when we chat again. Perhaps she’ll say she got her husband to one of the outdoor ranges? Maybe Franco will tell me she got her daughter more involved? Does Franco take some coworkers to the range and meet the folks at the WeShoot Experience?

Judi Franco is a great representative of the growing population of gun owners in the United States, and in particular in progressive anti-gun strong-holds. Through our conversations, the change in her is apparent and also the change in those around her is peeking through.

Want to tune into my full interview with Judi? Want to know what hit the cutting room floor? You can watch our chat HERE or check out the video below in the embed.

If you’d like to follow Judi Franco on social media, check her out on Instagram at @jerseyjudifranco. There you can learn more about the happenings of the lovely Judi Franco, as well as learn about some of her artwork!

Further, you can follow Judi over at NJ1015.com, and can tune in daily on FM 101.5 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in New Jersey.  The Dennis and Judi show can also be listened to in podcast form on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.