Two law enforcement sources said the inquiry began after a Camden police officer told state police that Thomson was made aware of Jenkins' record when he signed the permits. Thomson told the Camden County prosecutor that it was an administrative error, a spokesman for the prosecutor said.
Jenkins, who received four years' probation and repaid $11,000 in goverment funds, said that because his conviction was for a nonviolent offense, "I didn't realize it was something I had to report. . . . Otherwise I would never have applied for" a permit.
He said he never bought a gun with the permits and agreed to surrender the documents to the county prosecutor last week.
"Getting him to surrender the permit remedied the situation," said Jason Laughlin, the prosecutor's spokesman.
State law prevents those convicted of any crime from getting handgun purchase permits or firearms purchaser identification cards, which confer permission to purchase rifles and shotguns.
Those who give false information, or fictitious names or addresses on their firearms applications could face from three to five years in jail or a fine of up to $15,000, according to the statute.
New Jersey has the second-most-stringent gun laws in the country, according to a 2010 state scorecard released this year by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, a national gun-control advocacy group.
Jenkins' application is dated May 19.
A background check was subsequently run through the National Crime Information Center on July 1.
As part of their investigation into how Jenkins got the permits, state police investigators have spoken to at least two Camden police officers, law enforcement sources said.
