A lot has gone on since the landmark 2022 Bruen decision. For folks in the “hateful eight” states, they were being presented with an opportunity to actually get permits to carry. New Jersey was one such jurisdiction that was forced into compliance by the High Court and permits to carry started issuing by August of 2022. The laws have changed, the processes have changed, and all of that left Garden State carriers with a new issue. That’s why after my second permit to carry issuance, I turned to New Jersey Liberty Cards for my permit printing needs.

The process and law changed from 2022 to present. Immediately after Bruen, New Garden State carry applicants would have to apply for their permits through their local police departments. The process involved notarized forms in quadruplicate. It was an onerous mess and ultimately speaking a county judge would be the one to issue a given permit after a police department vetted the applicant.

Folks getting their very first carry permit prior to the law change in December of 2022 would get the permits from their county, delivered to local PDs, and then they would have to sign the permits, which were laminated – or some derivation of those steps, it was not uniform then. The size of the permits – of course – were larger than a standard identification card and would not fit in most wallets.

Once the all electronic system came into effect, the whole process was streamlined and easier. One of the biggest differences after applicants were vetted and issued their permits was in how they received them. Permit issued? Permittees would get an email and then have to download a PDF of their permit.

What next? Well, the State of New Jersey leaves you to your own devices. The PDF does have a notation on the bottom right hand corner of where the license boundary would be and it states it’s okay to laminate the card. What card?

Once New Jersey went electronic with their firearm identification cards and subsequent to the Bruen-response law, permits to carry licensees had to just figure out what to do with the PDFs. Print them out and try to laminate them maybe? Naturally, the dimensions -- if printed to scale -- left the cards not the same size as a standard identification card, still.

It was shortly after the change in the permit to carry process that I saw New Jersey Liberty Cards popup online. What’s their shtick? They print identification cards for folks. Pretty simple.

Have a New Jersey permit or license that you need printed? You email them the PDF, they size it to a wallet sized card, and print it on a credit card thick plastic card. Super simple. Super efficient. And honestly, at $200.00, this is something the State of New Jersey should be providing us peasants – but they don’t. For $10.00, New Jersey Liberty Cards has your back though.

Is this legit? The owner of New Jersey Liberty Cards has distributed online on social media the text of his email exchange with the New Jersey State Police about the legitimacy of the IDs. They’ve said it’s a-okay for permit holders to have their permits printed in this manner. Granted, it’d be a tough burden to get up and over for anyone to explain how a legitimately printed ID is not better than a PDF that you just need to figure out what to do on your own. Have a doubt? Call your issuing authority or the state police yourself to verify this is okay.

Leading up to my new permit application, I sent out a message to New Jersey Liberty Cards to see if I could get some samples. We were playing for keeps, so they had me send over an electronic version of my firearm identification card and I also sent a copy of my National Shooting Sports Foundation media member card for them to play with.

The service was prompt and the quality of the product was great. This was going to be a much better option than trying to print out and laminate my own card at home like I was back in high school doing things that computer nerds might have done back in the 90’s with such technologies.

My permit to carry was not a renewal per se. Since I applied for the first time through the electronic system for the new permit, everything had to still be inputted like it was an original application. I had done my best to time my application to right around when my permit would expire and that paid off.

I actually was in Vegas for the 2025 SHOT Show when my issuance notification came in from the state’s system. I miscalculated my application, with my old permit being expired for two days while I was romping around Sin City – disarmed, mind you.

Immediately after downloading my permit to carry, I emailed it off to New Jersey Liberty Cards, processed an invoice on their website, and that was that. When I got back from Las Vegas, two brand new New Jersey permits to carry were waiting for me.

Like I said earlier, the process was fast and efficient. The prices are reasonable. And they’ll print almost anything you send them.

The possibilities are endless on what you could use this service for. My outside of the box recommendation would be to get some custom luggage tags printed up. Need a company ID card for your own small business? I bet you they’d print one up for you. Perfect for making an unofficial, yet useful, identification card for a youth.

How are my permits going to hold up? I don’t know. But I do know they’re going to fare better than if I laminated a piece of paper. Folks that used the service when they first started have not complained about any wear issues, so there is that.

Have a state that does not like to print out your carry permits or have other “card” needs? I highly recommend checking out New Jersey Liberty Cards. For the price, you can’t go wrong. You can visit them at: https://www.njlibertycards.com/

Author’s Note: As mentioned above, New Jersey Liberty Cards did send me some sample identification cards gratis to see if I’d like the service – I was weighing other companies that are out there. I ultimately did like their product and subsequently paid for my permit to carry cards. I’m not being compensated in writing this review. I am however trying to spread the word about a service I found useful.