Gun laws in New Jersey regulate the sale, possession, and use of firearms and ammunition in the U.S. state of New Jersey."State Gun Laws: New Jersey", National Rifle Association – Institute for Legislative Action. Retrieved January 1, 2013."New Jersey State Law Summary", Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Retrieved January 1, 2013. New Jersey's firearms laws are among the most restrictive in the country.
Summary table Subject / law Longguns Handguns Relevant statutes Notes State permit required to purchase? Yes Yes A lifetime purchaser identification card (Firearm ID Cards issued after 2021 expire in 10 years and must be renewed) is required for purchase of rifles and shotguns, as well as for purchases of handgun ammunition. A permit to purchase a handgun, valid for 90 days is required for each handgun purchase. Only one handgun can be purchased within a 30-day period. According to judicial ruling, purchase permits/identification cards are supposed to be granted on a “shall-issue” basis. Firearm registration? No Yes The NJ State Police Firearms Investigation Unit (NJSP FIU) maintains a record of all handgun transfers, except for inherited firearms willed to the transferee, or firearms brought to the state by new residents moving to the state. Firearm registration is voluntary, but since handgun purchase permits are also a form of register, there is de facto mandatory handgun registration for handguns purchased in-state. Purchases by NJ residents must either be from a licensed dealer in NJ or a private individual who is a resident of NJ. In both dealer purchases and private sales, a copy of the purchase permit is sent to the NJSP FIU. A NICS background check at the point of sale is only required for purchases from dealers. Owner license required? No No Purchaser Identification Card required to purchase firearms in state. License is not required to own or possess firearms at exempt locations, only to purchase. Firearm must be compliant and/or brought into compliance with NJ law before entering NJ. Permit required for concealed carry? N/A Yes N.J. Admin. Code § 13:54 New Jersey calls its permit a "permit to carry a handgun" and is a "shall-issue" by judicial ruling for concealed firearm carry. It must be approved by both the municipality's police chief, whereas the applicant will not know who denied the $200 application to carry. Permit required for open carry? No Yes Open carry is allowed only with a permit to carry a handgun and is generally not practiced except by security officers and others who carry firearms on duty. While it is technically legal to carry long guns with a valid Firearm Purchaser ID card, it is generally frowned upon by law enforcement, except when hunting. One can expect to be detained and questioned in most places if carrying in this manner. However, open carry of loaded long guns is not permitted. As of 2022 individuals that are not law enforcement and possess a permit to carry a handgun are no longer legally allowed to open carry a handgun. State preemption of local restrictions? No No There is limited state preemption for some firearm laws. Assault weapon law? Yes Yes New Jersey prohibits the sale of certain semi-automatic rifles, shotguns, and handguns to ordinary citizens. Assault Firearms can be acquired through an seldom permit issued by an county superior judge. Magazine capacity restriction? Yes Yes N.J.S.A. 2C:39-1(y); N.J.S.A 2C:39-3(j) New Jersey bans the purchase of magazines capable of holding more than ten rounds of ammunition to ordinary citizens. NFA weapons restricted? Yes Yes ; Possession of short barreled rifles, short barreled shotguns, destructive devices, and suppressors are prohibited to the average citizen. Law is silent on AOWs. Possession of a machine gun requires a state license, which is granted on a may issue basis by a county superior court judge. Machine gun licenses are extremely difficult to obtain. Background checks required for private sales? Yes Yes Private firearm sales require a background check conducted through a federally licensed gun dealer except for temporary transfers, transfers between law enforcement officers, or transfers between immediate family. Red flag law? Yes Yes A judge may issue a gun violence restraining order authorizing the police to confiscate a person's firearms if the judge determines that the person poses a significant risk of personal injury to himself or others. New Jersey law allows anyone to file for a Temporary Extreme Risk Protection Order on any person.
Constitutional provisions The Constitution of New Jersey has no provision explicitly guaranteeing the right of citizens to keep and bear arms.
Limits and restrictions Hollow-point ammunition is available for unrestricted purchase from most retailers wherever firearms are sold, and may be transported by purchasers without special licensing. However, hollow-point bullets may not be carried outside of a place of target practice, dwelling, premises or land possessed by a person, even if one has a valid permit to carry a handgun, except when being transported directly to and from these places. LEOSA (HR 218) qualified and retired or separated LEOs carrying anywhere in the US are exempt from state laws and may legally carry hollow-point ammunition or any ammunition that is not prohibited under the Gun Control Act of 1968 or the National Firearm Act."TITLE 13. LAW AND PUBLIC SAFETY CHAPTER 54. FIREARMS AND WEAPONS" "Transportation and Use of Hollow Point Ammunition by Sportsmen" , New Jersey State Police. Retrieved March 16. 2013 Additionally the NJ Superior Court in State v Brian Aitken has ruled that there is no exception for moving between residences with hollow-point bullets.
Some localities have adopted Second Amendment sanctuary resolutions.
Permits to purchase and own In New Jersey, anyone seeking to purchase (but not to possess or use at exempt locations) firearms is required to obtain a lifetime Firearm Purchaser Identification card, commonly referred to as FPIC, for the purchase of rifles and shotguns. To purchase a handgun, a separate permit is needed from the Chief of Police of their municipality, or the Superintendent of State Police if the municipality does not have a local police department. A permit is required for each handgun to be purchased and expires after 90 days but may be extended for an additional 90 days at the discretion of the Chief of Police or Superintendent of State Police. These, like the initial Firearms Purchaser Identification Card (FPIC), are provided to applicants on a may-issue basis. They require in-depth application questioning, multiple references and background checks via the State Bureau of Identification and New Jersey State Police; however, authorities do not have discretion and must issue permits to applicants who satisfy the criteria described in the statutes. Reasons for denial include being convicted of a crime (equivalent to a felony) or disorderly persons offense (equivalent to a misdemeanor) in the case of domestic violence. As of August 2013 anyone on the terror watchlist is also disqualified.
NJ law states that Firearms Purchaser Identification approval and/or handgun purchase permit(s) must be issued within 30 days. However, this is not always adhered to with some applicants waiting months to receive their permits. Applicants are able to appeal the denial of permits. The Firearm Purchaser ID card is also required to purchase handgun ammunition at dealers in the state. "Handgun ammunition" is interpreted as any caliber that can be used in a handgun, therefore some calibers that are typically used in rifles and shotguns require one to show a FPIC to purchase.
Private firearm transfers require a background check conducted through a federally licensed gun dealer. The dealer is required to keep a record of the sale. There are limited exceptions, including for transfers between members of an immediate family and for law enforcement officers.
Forms required by municipalities :
Only two forms are required to obtain a FPIC or permit to purchase a handgun: the "Application for Firearms Purchaser Identification Card and/or Handgun Purchase Permit", STS-33, and "Consent For Mental Health Records Search", SP-66. Additionally, the Chief of Police for the Municipality or the Superintendent of State Police may require an applicant to be fingerprinted or complete a "Request for Criminal History Record Information", form SBI 212A. Fingerprinting is usually done at private facilities such as Morpho (Safran) and the SBI 212A form can be submitted online or on paper. The method of submission is determined by the local police department. Many police departments and the NJSP are moving toward online submission and phasing out the paper SBI 212A.
Some municipalities have required additional forms, photographs and other requirements such as notarization. These forms are not required for approval per NJSA 2C:58-3a. This has been affirmed by the Appellate Court in two cases, one against the City of Paterson by resident Jeremy Perez, and another against Jersey City by resident Michael McGovern where the court ruled against the cities in violation.
Fees Each FPIC application fee is $5 and each permit to purchase a handgun is $2. Fingerprinting is charged a fee by the private facility contracted by the state, approximately $50 to $60. The SBI 212A "Request for Criminal History Record Information" application fee is $18 if submitted on paper or $20 if submitted online. Each police department has its own policy with regard to which method they choose for background checks. Some may require fingerprinting for each application, but most only require it for the initial FPIC.
New Jersey limits handgun purchases to one per 30-day period. Upon completing a New Jersey State police form, an FID card holder may be granted permission to purchase more than one handgun a month by declaring good reason. Reasons may include: recreational shooting; the purposes of collectors; when it is required for certain employment; and when obtaining firearms as the beneficiary of a will.Graber, Trish G. "Gov. Corzine Signs New Law Limiting N.J. Gun Purchases", The Star-Ledger, August 6, 2009 The State application required for this increase, Form SP-015, specifically requires the make, model and serial number of each firearm to be transferred prior to the exemption, keeping the spirit of the purchasing limit safe from circumvention.Form SP-015: Application for Multiple Handgun Purchase Exemption, New Jersey State Police. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
Self-made firearms New Jersey outlawed the manufacture and sale of self-made firearms/homemade firearms in 2018 and the transfer and possession in 2019 along with 3D printing guns, including possessing or sharing computer code that can be used to program the printing of such guns. The law is being challenged in court.
Permits to carry and transport
Permit to carry a handgun New Jersey “shall-issue” a Permit to Carry a Handgun for both open and concealed carry to both residents and non-residents in accordance with New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen. One must submit an application to the chief law enforcement officer of one's municipality, or the Superintendent of State Police in areas where there is no local police department. Armored car employees are required to apply to the Superintendent of State Police. Non-residents may apply to the Superintendent of State Police. By judicial ruling, New Jersey is a "shall-issue" permit system, in which authorities must issue a permit if the applicant meets the minimum requirements. Additionally, training and range qualification is required. After a background check and review by the law enforcement agency, permit applications are forwarded to the Superior Court where they are approved or denied.