By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
New Jersey-based Second Amendment activist John Petrolino, better known in some circles as “The Patriot Pen” and in others as a director on the board of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA), has some timely advice for grassroots activists as the midterm elections loom.
“It’s up to you to get out there and make it happen.”
Petrolino is living proof that protecting and defending gun rights is not a spectator sport. His 15-minute presentation during the second morning of this year’s Gun Rights Policy Conference (GRPC) in Dallas was headlined “Grassroots, Use Your Tools, and the Power of One,” and he delivered the goods.
Quoting an acquaintance from a San Diego gun owners’ group, Petrolino was blunt: “There’s people and there’s money, and we use people and we use money to influence elections, lawsuits and culture.”
He went on to provide key information about “grassroots action and activism, about holding policy makers and officials accountable, and using data and facts and figures to your advantage.”
As an example, he referred to a movement which began in New Jersey, where grassroots activism has led to what can be defined as local nullification of law. Following the 2022 Bruen ruling, New Jersey lawmakers intent on discouraging citizens from applying for concealed carry permits upped the local application/license fees from $50 to $150.
But one activist, Daniel Francisco—who was in the Dallas audience—“came up with the idea” to work with municipalities to give the money back to permit applicants. The effort got support from CCRKBA, the New Jersey Firearms Owners’ Syndicate and National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action. The effort kicked off in mid-2025 and by September of last year, eight municipalities were on board. But now, a year later, the number has quadrupled, to 25 participating local governments, Petrolino announced.
The effort has proven the importance of citizen involvement, he said.
“We show up at meetings,” he advised. “We want to be respectful about this…and if you have relationships with anybody (on the council), engage with them. You have to participate for these things to happen.”
Instead of being someone who wrings his or her hands and wishing somebody would do something, he counseled the audience, “Stand up and be that person. Get involved.”
“When it comes to this type of grassroots activism,” Petrolino said about the New Jersey refund project, “I want you to think outside the box. I want each and every one of you to think about ways you can take this model and use it in your home state or your hometown.”
Another part of this movement is to use data and facts to your advantage.
For example, Petrolino got curious about carry permit numbers in the Garden State, and what his snooping uncovered was that black citizens were getting denied on their applications 2.2 times more than white applicants. By September 2024, that number—according to his data—had risen to 2.62 times the number of rejections. And he publicized it, which led to a startling revelation.
“When I uncovered that,” he recalled, “a non-profit called Rise Against Hate saw my coverage—they’re a watchdog group— and they did their own independent study. Turns out I lied to everyone. It wasn’t double the rate, it was actually ten times, so black people in New Jersey are being denied ten times more than whites, and in Ocean County, it’s 50 times more.”
It was a staggering discovery.
He began filing public information requests, which were repeatedly rejected. He ultimately sued the state, but the case was tossed, leading him to realize it might result in bad case law if he continued.
“You don’t want bad law,” he cautioned. “If something isn’t going right, you don’t want to pursue it.”
However, his focus was on staying in the fight.
“Every single one of you has an idea,” Petrolino said. “Every single one of you has a resolution idea, you have a program, a policy, something that you can put forward.
“My message to everybody is to get out there and remember, all it takes is one idea, one initiative, one organization, one big tent,” he said. “It’s up to you to get out there and make it happen.”
