New Jersey Gun Laws?

M

Mr.Blue

Moderator
I may be relocating to the NYC metro area and may choose NJ over NY. In NY (not NYC) you have to have a permit to even OWN a handgun. This means just to have one on your property. If I move back to NY I have to go through a whole nightmare scenario shipping the guns back and waiting a year to get them.

In NJ, can I bring my handguns into the state as long as I keep them in my home, only bringing them to the range? I do not plan to CCW, just want HD and range time guns. Do all handguns have to be registered?

I know NJ gun laws are bad compared to most states, but are probably better than NY.
 
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Not to highjack your thread Mr. Blue. However, I wanted to ask what people think the best gun law states are. I live in Mass which restricts my ability to shoot as often as I would like. I want to move eventually and was wondering what states would be good and nice. Id like to be able to walk 100ft. from my house and have a nice range setup :D.
 
Please keep this thread focused on my original question. You can start another thread about other gun friendly states. Thanks.
 
It's a toss up. NJ and NY and two of the worst states for gun laws. I think NJ is the only state that has a law against using HP ammo for SD.

To show how bad NJ is, one of my son's recently moved from NJ to San Francisco CA. He feels lucky to be in a state with more friendly gun laws. That's like going from the fire to the frying pan. Well, I guess everything is relative.:)
 
Check with the New Jersey attorney general's office to see what their proceedure is for moving into the state and posessing firearms. Some guy got his nuts twisted in a ringer when he tried to move to NJ with his family AND his firearms.
Also, HP ammo is not permitted in NJ. Your just supposed to throw pillows at the BGs.

Tyler, check out www.pafoa.org. The gun owners of Pennsylvania would never stand for the kind of crap you guys have to put up with.
 
HP ammo is legal to buy and transport between home and range, and can be used as SD ammo. The illegal part is when used in the commission of a crime - it adds years to the sentence. You need a Firearm ID Card to buy handgun ammo, and guns aren't registered. CCW is rare and almost nonexistent for the common shlub, but the state NRA has grown a set recently and is pressing several law suits. Check out the NJ State Police website. I live in the southern part of the state and there are places where people can shoot on their own property. The north is another world. All in all, it's a nice place.

Also, http://njgunforums.com/forum/
 
All things considered, you're much better off moving to PA or even CT if you can handle the commute. PA (aside from Philly) is pretty good. CT is OK, as long as you don't need an "assault weapon". CCW is guaranteed if you can pass a simple background check.
 
Yeah, I figured CT was ok. Unfortunately, I have a bunch of black rifles.

@K96771,

Thanks. So it's ok to have pistols on your property if you bought them legally in another state?

I'm thinking of moving near the shore. I loved Spring Lake, but it's been years since I was there.
 
Yes you can bring your guns with you as long as they aren't on the banned list. Btw, if you have any magazines that hold more than 15 rounds don't even think about bringing them, jail is bad. There is no grey area on the magazine thing with NJ police. The law requires range employees to call the police if they notice you with a "large capacity" magazine :(

To buy ammo locally you WILL have to get a NJ firearms permit. It's annoying and takes forever in most towns.

I buy ammo online though so it never really comes up and there's no law against it. If you want to shoot, you'll need to go to a range, I'd recommend Shore Shot in Lakewood.
 
Thanks. What about pre-ban 30 round AR-15 magazines? NY has a 10 round limit, but we were able to buy pre ban mags.
 
Here's a link for you: http://www.nraila.org/statelawpdfs/NJSL.pdf

Not sure about bringing guns in, but to purchase in NJ you need a NJ Firearms ID card (requires a fee, waiting period, fingerprinting/background check), and to purchase a handgun requires a separate purchase permit for each handgun (fee, waiting period, fingerprinting already done, probably a background check to make sure you have no new criminal record)

Hollow points are allowed in your home and for self-defense in your home. Illegal to use in commission of a crime

Forget about concealed carry or open carry

Not a good state but not horrible. Shore Shot was a decent range. Ray's Sport Shop in North Plainfield was also a decent range, although I haven't been there in a long long time
 
Understood. I guess I can live with that.

Pre assault weapons ban. Any magazine manufactured before 1994 is grandfathered in and allowed in NY.
 
In CT, you can have black rifles but they need to meet specific conditions. With an AR-15, you may need to have the flash hider spot welded and you can't have a collapsible stock or bayonet lug. Some AR's are specifically outlawed by name but pre-ban guns are fine.

Not a good state but not horrible.
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Any state that forbids carry is a horrible state. As much as people complain about Massachusetts, you can get a CCW, you can get a AR-15 and you can get a machine gun. I'm not sure there is a state more horrible than NJ when it comes to gun laws. Massachusetts would be "bad" to NJ's horrible.
 
I have friends that live near NYC. They're fed up with all the taxes and fees.

The 'in' thing to do now is live just over the border in PA and commute in to the city if you want cheaper mortgages and like your freedoms. They're even planning a commuter rail system to deal with the growth.
 
Neither NY or NJ are gun friendly states. Like stated PA would be a better choice if at all possible. Remember, no hollow point ammo in NJ. Boy am I glad I moved to FLA.
 
Ok, lets clear up some things.

First I know what Pre ban is, just making the point it doesn't exist here :D

Second, there is NO LAW against hollow points in NJ for home defense or range. The law specifically states you can't use hollow points while committing a crime. Probably the most retarded law I've ever heard of. You'd think committing the crime in the first place would be bad enough, and getting shot with any bullet is murder/manslaughter :confused:

Third, though unlikely to happen if you get caught with a firearm in NJ outside your home and you don't have a Firearms ID card you ARE going to spend a couple of days in jail until they sort it out. You'll probably spend several months fighting to get your gun back as well. Eventually you should win, but it'll cost you.

The one constant in NJ is that the police here have no idea what the actual gun laws are. You'll be arrested and in jail before you know what happened. Then the DA, who probably does know the law, will make your life as miserable as possible in the hopes you either A) give up, or B) people will see what you went through and not become firearms owners.

If you do decide to move to NJ, welcome to gun ownership HELL. There are times I envy Californians.
 
I would take NY over NJ personally. NY is less strict however both suck. In NJ you need to get a permit to purchase each individual handgun and there is a registry of this. There is an exemption however to this law being that if you are moving to NJ you need not get a permit for the handguns you already own.
 
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