Gun Laws in New Jersey
Gun Friendliness Score
How We Calculate Gun Friendliness Scores
The Gun Friendliness Score ranges from 0 to 100 and represents how favorable a state's laws are toward gun ownership and use. We evaluate each state across 50 key gun policies, assigning points based on how these policies affect gun owners:
- Policies that support gun rights, reduce restrictions, or expand legal protections for gun owners receive positive points
- Policies that restrict firearm ownership, limit purchase options, or add regulatory burdens receive negative points
New Jersey's extremely low score of 8 reflects the state's highly restrictive gun laws, including permit requirements for purchases and possession, assault weapons bans, magazine capacity limits, and may-issue concealed carry policies.
New Jersey Gun Laws Summary
New Jersey has established itself as one of the most restrictive states in the nation regarding firearms. The state implements comprehensive regulations on firearms and ammunition, often exceeding federal requirements with additional state-level restrictions and bureaucratic processes.
New Jersey is a may-issue state for concealed carry permits, meaning local authorities have broad discretion to deny applications. The New Jersey State Police and local police departments handle permit issuance, and even qualified applicants may be denied permits based on subjective criteria. Following the Supreme Court's Bruen decision in 2022, New Jersey has been forced to transition to a more objective shall-issue system, though the state continues to impose numerous restrictions.
New Jersey requires permits for both purchasing and possessing firearms. A Firearms Purchaser Identification Card (FPID) is required to purchase rifles and shotguns, while a separate Permit to Purchase a Handgun is required for each individual handgun purchase. These permits require extensive background checks, references, and can take months to process.
Permitting, Sales and Transfers
New Jersey requires permits to purchase all firearms. A Firearms Purchaser Identification Card (FPID) is required for rifles and shotguns, while individual permits are required for each handgun purchase. All sales must go through federally licensed dealers, and private sales between individuals are prohibited.
Background checks are required for all firearm transfers, including private sales. New Jersey maintains comprehensive records of all firearm purchases and registrations. The state has implemented additional restrictions beyond federal requirements, including mental health evaluations and character references.
Firearms in Public and in the Home
New Jersey severely restricts both open and concealed carry. Open carry is generally prohibited except for specific exemptions like hunting or target shooting. Concealed carry permits are extremely difficult to obtain and require demonstrating "justifiable need" beyond general self-defense.
Concealed carry permits are issued on a may-issue basis, with authorities having broad discretion to deny applications. Extensive training, background checks, and character references are required. Even with recent legal changes, New Jersey maintains numerous "sensitive places" where carry is prohibited, and reciprocity with other states is extremely limited.
Firearm, Feature and Accessory Bans
New Jersey has extensive bans on semi-automatic firearms classified as "assault weapons," high-capacity magazines (limited to 10 rounds), and various firearm features and accessories. The state maintains an approved handgun roster, and many common firearms available in other states are prohibited. NFA items like suppressors and short-barreled rifles are generally prohibited for civilian ownership.
Local Laws
New Jersey allows local municipalities to enact additional firearm restrictions beyond state law. Many cities and towns have implemented their own ordinances regarding firearm storage, carry restrictions, and dealer licensing. This creates a complex patchwork of local regulations that gun owners must navigate in addition to comprehensive state-level restrictions.
2025 Gun Law Checklist
New Jersey Gun Policy Profile: 50 Key Legislative Points
Purchasing and Sales Regulations
Background Check for Any Firearm Sale
State requires any firearm sale to go through a licensed dealer (FFL) and be subject to a background check. (Federal law requires those "engaged in the business" of buying/selling firearms to perform a background check during a sale). A private sale or transfer of any firearm between individuals (non-family members) must be also conducted through an FFL.
Background Check for Any Handgun Sale (Including Private Sales)
All handgun sales and most transfers are subject to a background check. Private sales of handguns between individuals (non-family members) must be conducted through an FFL.
Background Check Extensions
State will halt the transfer of a firearm if a background check is delayed. Some states will halt the process indefinitely, some for a set amount of time.
Failed Background Check Reported to Law Enforcement
The firearm dealer (or state agency conducting the background check) has a responsibility to notify local law enforcement of a failed background check.
Must be 21 or Older to Purchase
Most firearms–including rifles, shotguns, and handguns–cannot be sold to anyone under the age of 21. (Federal laws permit long guns to be sold to those over the age of 18.)
Permit to Purchase
State requires a permit (single-use or renewable) for all firearms or specifically for handguns. States typically charge a fee for the permit and a background check is performed during the application.
Mandatory Waiting Periods
Prior to purchasing a firearm, an individual must wait a specified period (typically between 3-14 days) between initiating the purchase and taking possession of the firearm.
State Licenses All Gun Dealers
State has a licensing system for firearms merchants above and beyond the federal (FFL) system.
Purchase Rejected for Public Safety Reasons
State officials able to block sales of firearms if the purchaser is deemed to be a threat to themselves or to public safety (according to the judgment of the official)
Approved Handgun Roster
State controls what make and model handguns are sold; according to their own criteria. Often, this involves a "roster" of approved handguns with the right "safety" features, such as a loaded chamber indicator, or even the amount of metal in the firearm (Maryland). Often, LE are exempt from these requirements.
Strict Unfinished Frames and Receivers Laws
State sets a lower threshold for unfinished frames and receivers (beyond ATF rule 2021R-05F). Includes ban on 3D-printing of these parts in some states.
Ownership and Registration Requirements
Permit to Possess
Several states require a permit just to possess: a handgun (New York); any firearms or ammunition (Illinois).
State Firearm or Handgun Registry
State keeps a record of every firearm or handgun sold. Includes states with a permit to purchase and states that keep records of purchases.
Mandatory Firearms Training
Prior to purchasing a firearm, an individual must prove they completed the state ordered training. Often, this is part of the application process for a Permit to Purchase.
Secure Storage Requirement
Gun owners must lock up firearms in the home (or anywhere else a minor or prohibited person may have access).
Magazine Capacity Limits
State limits magazine capacity for some or all firearms.
"Assault Weapons" Ban
Magazine fed, semi-automatic, centerfire rifles cannot have other "features" (pistol grip, flash hider, etc.) or they are considered "assault weapons." New guns cannot be registered as "assault weapons." Possession is prohibited with limited exceptions.
Microstamping Law
State has a law banning the sale of a new pistol unless its firing can imprint its serial number somewhere on the cartridge case during firing. This technology is make-believe at present, but these laws will effectively ban the sale of new handguns in the state if/when they become effective
Penalties for Not Reporting a Lost or Stolen Firearm
Gun owners must report the loss or theft of firearms–usually within several days of the incident or first discovering the loss–or potentially face a criminal penalty.
Carry and Location Restrictions
Mandatory Permit for Concealed Carry
State requires a permit to carry a concealed pistol. This includes all states that "may issue" a permit (where officials may deny a permit for subjective reasons).
Officials Can Deny Carry Permit
State allows the carry permit officials to deny an application based on the state's own criteria.
Open Carry Limited or Banned
State restricts open carry to rifles and shotguns or bans open carry completely unless you are LE or special permit holder.
No Carry Mandate for College Campuses
State has not passed a blanket law permitting concealed carry on college campuses.
Gun Ban on Most Public Property
State limits or bans any type of carry in and around government facilities (state, county, municipal) and/or limits carry of firearms in parades and demonstrations
Guns Banned in Bars
State prohibits carry inside bars or consumption of alcohol while carrying.
No Guns in K-12 Schools
Only LE (and in some states, specially licensed school officials) may carry on school property.
Does Not Recognize Other States' Carry Permits
State doesn't consider concealed carry permits from other states valid
Prohibited Persons and Possession Restrictions
Felons are Also Prohibited Persons at State Level
State has a law prohibiting felons from owning guns and ammo, even though federal law already does this.
Fugitives are Also Prohibited Persons at State Level
State has a law prohibiting fugitives from justice from owning guns and ammo, even though federal law already does this.
Involuntarily Committed are Also Prohibited Persons at State Level
State has a law prohibiting those who have been involuntarily committed (to a psychiatric hospital or mental institution), or those found to be a danger to themselves or others from owning guns and ammo. Federal law already prohibits anyone found to be mentally defective or committed to a mental institution at 16 years or older.
Violent Offenders Cannot Possess
State will take away firearms, deny future possession, or at minimum deny future purchase of firearms for certain misdemeanor crimes of violence (besides domestic violence violence).
Domestic Violence Offenders Also Prohibited Persons at State Level
State has a law prohibiting those convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence from owning guns and ammo, even though federal law already does this
Stalkers are Prohibited Persons at the State Level
State has either made stalking a felony (instant prohibitor) or makes an individual convicted of misdemeanor stalking a prohibited person.
Intervention and Seizure Provisions
Red Flag Law
Law enforcement (and others, depending on the state) is allowed to request that firearms be taken away from others with limited due process.
Emergency Gun Seizure Before Restraining Orders
Similar to a red flag law, state will take away guns before an actual conviction. This is often during domestic disputes, before a restraining order takes effect, and in similar situations.
Guns Seized for Hate Crimes
State will take away all firearms from an individual in response to a misdemeanor hate crime conviction.
Guns Seized After Becoming Prohibited
State will quickly respond when an individual's status changes to prohibited and take away all firearms belonging to that person.
Guns Seized After Domestic Violence Conviction
State will quickly respond to take away firearms from an individual if they are convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence.
Guns Seized Amid Restraining Orders
State will take away all firearms from anyone who is subject to a restraining order, even though federal law already does this.
No Stand Your Ground Law
State imposes a "duty to retreat" before using force or requires "proportional force" when responding to an attack or dangerous situation with force.
Monitoring and Threat Assessment
Mental Health Database
State maintains records of anyone that has been committed or involuntarily committed to psychiatric hospitals. They send this information to the FBI for use by the NICS (or when conducting a state background check, if applicable).
School Officials Conduct Threat Assessments
Teams of mostly school officials are empowered by law to refer children for mental health assessments or take more drastic action if they believe the child poses a threat to themselves or others.
Mandatory Tracing of "Crime Guns"
Law enforcement must use either a state system or the federal firearm tracing system to research any firearm recovered from a crime scene or used in a crime.
Law Enforcement Oversight and Accountability
No LE Officers Bill of Rights
Some states never passed (or passed and later repealed) a set of basic protections for public safety officers. These protections vary by state. They often include the right to engage in political activity and run for public office, and the right to refuse a lie detector test, among other things.
Heavy Restrictions on LE Use of Deadly Force
State laws severely limit the discharge of firearms to apprehend criminals, including against individuals suspected of murder or fleeing a felony in many cases.
Reports for LE Deadly Force Incidents
Law enforcement agencies are required to report any officer-involved shootings that result in serious injury or death. Monthly or annual reports are compiled using this data and made available to the public.
No Qualified Immunity Defense Laws
In civil court, LE officials may not use a defense of qualified immunity if they are accused of certain civil rights violations. This includes situations in which a firearm was used.
Prevention and Support Programs
Dedicated Office of Gun Violence Prevention
Some states have passed legislation creating gun violence prevention offices that target "community gun violence." Taxpayer funds are used to support these programs, which may have little to no effect on violent crime.
Funding for Services of Victims of Gun Violence
Some states maximize the use of federal money intended for victims of violent crime by increasing pool of eligible claimants. Money is paid out to families of convicted felons in many cases.
Local Control
Counties / Cities / Towns Can Pass Stricter Gun Laws
Local governments are free to pass their own gun control laws in addition to any existing laws at the federal and state levels. Some states prohibit local governments from passing laws about specific things-including guns. This is known as preemption.
Conclusion
This piece discusses the ammunition and firearms laws that apply in New Jersey. To do so, the piece begins with the laws concerning ammunition, with a focus on the ammunition buying process. From there, the piece dives into the firearms laws of the state, examining both the buying processes as well as the legalities of carrying firearms within the state. To wrap things up, the piece offers some resources that we think you will find useful if you are interested in owning and carrying firearms and ammunition in New Jersey.
We do not intend this piece as legal advice. Instead, we hope that you find the information here useful in making your own decisions.
New Jersey is one of the few states that does not have preemption. This means that localities such as counties, cities, and towns are free to make their own firearms and ammunition laws. Because of this, this piece focuses on the big picture of state firearms laws, but the above warning about this piece not being legal advice goes doubly so at the local level: be sure to do your homework, or consult with a local attorney, for area-specific rules, laws, and practices in New Jersey.
This state is a contender for having the strictest firearms laws in the nation. New Jersey requires permits to purchase firearms and ammunition, has several different types of bans in place, and generally onerous processes to apply for those permits. This piece will focus mainly on those bans and restrictions to aid in understanding these highly restrictive firearms laws.
Ammo Laws/Buying Ammo in New Jersey
First, we will cover the ammo laws of the state.
New Jersey is complex when it comes to ammunition laws when compared to most states. The state requires an active firearms permit (it can be the overall Firearms Purchaser ID card, Permit to Purchase a Handgun, or Permit to Carry a Handgun) to buy ammunition for handguns, but does not have the same requirement to do so for ammunition intended for rifles or shotguns.
To apply for the Firearms Purchaser ID or Permit to Purchase a Handgun, one has to go, likely in person, to the local police department, and get a special number from them. With said number in hand, the applicant can then fill out an online application and pay a fee before waiting an indeterminate period of time. This process might well take over a month to complete.
This requirement alone means that most online retailers are not willing to ship any ammunition to the state, likely to avoid legal liabilities. While it might be technically legal to ship rifle and shotgun ammo to the state since it is not specifically forbidden, retailers are likely not willing to bother having to make that distinction in court.
In addition to meeting the restrictive permitting requirements, federal laws still apply in New Jersey. Buyers of ammo have to meet an age requirement: eighteen or older for long gun ammo and twenty-one or older for handgun ammo. Additionally, buyers cannot be prohibited persons, which the ATF defines as people who have been convicted of felonies or domestic violence, people who have been found mentally unfit in court, and those who have been involuntarily committed to an inpatient mental health facility.
The majority of online retailers are not willing to enforce NJ’s permitting requirements to purchase ammunition and thus are unwilling to ship ammo to the state, even to buyers who can legally get said ammunition and have the permit. The easiest way to acquire ammunition legally in New Jersey is to get one of the relevant permits and purchase it in person: it is one of the more restrictive sets of ammo laws in the country.
Gun Laws/Buying Guns in New Jersey
Next, we will do the same analysis for NJ gun laws.
New Jersey has several major bans. The state bans the sale and possession of magazines that are over ten rounds in capacity. The state also has an “assault weapons” ban which prohibits most modern semi-automatic rifles and shotguns without substantial modifications such as adding non-threaded barrels and fixed magazines. NJ also prohibits its residents from owning NFA items, such as machine guns, suppressors, and short-barreled rifles and shotguns.
Assuming you want to purchase one of the firearms not prohibited by the state outright, there are several processes that might need to be followed. If the buyer plans to purchase a long gun, they’ll need the above-linked Firearms Purchaser Identification Card. From there, the buyer will need to take that, another ID, and payment to the gun store. The FFL will then have the buyer fill out Form 4473, and the buyer can leave the same day with their firearm assuming that the background check and payment are both clear.
For handguns, the buyer will need to have the Handgun Purchase permit. This comes with an additional mandatory week-long waiting period, as the state requires people to get a new one of these permits with each handgun purchase. Because the permits themselves take several weeks to process at the state level, the practical waiting period for buying a handgun in the state is around one month - the longest in the nation as of this writing.
All private firearm sales in the state are also subject to the above processes and thus must be run through an FFL to facilitate compliance with the state’s rules.
Carrying a firearm in New Jersey is similarly restrictive. Even with a concealed carry permit, it is not generally legal to carry a firearm openly anywhere in the state except on private property. The state requires a permit to carry a concealed handgun: the permitting process requires a special number issued by the state’s Bureau of Investigation to certify a background check, complete records of training received, four personal references that are not in the applicant’s family, information on the handguns the applicant intends to carry, and a $200 fee. It is one of the more involved applications in the country, and the permit has to be renewed every two years. While the permit is honored in some states, none of the neighboring states honor NJ’s concealed carry permit.
Even with the permit, New Jersey bans firearms from several locations, including:
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Schools
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Sporting Events
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Universities
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Hospitals
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Courts
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Polling Places
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Legislative Assemblies
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Correctional Facilities
New Jersey is home to the headquarters of Henry Repeating Arms: they focus mainly on the manufacturing of lever-action firearms.
In effect, New Jersey requires a separate permit to do most things with firearms. By the time a person has a handgun and a concealed carry permit, they will have likely spent several months and hundreds of dollars on training and permitting fees. Because of these restrictions, as well as numerous bans on classes of firearms and accessories, New Jersey’s gun laws are a serious contender for being the strictest that the USA has to offer.
Sales Tax on Guns/Ammo in New Jersey
New Jersey’s state sales tax rate is 6.63%, and this rate applies to the whole state. While NJ does not impose specific taxes on firearms, there’s a reasonable argument that all of the permitting fees are defacto taxes on gun ownership. There have been past legislative proposals to institute taxes on firearm and ammo sales, which have a good chance of passing if proposed in the future.
More Resources:
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The ATF maintains a list of every FFL in the country, including those located in New Jersey. This list can be used to find local gun stores, which are usually Type One or Type Two FFLs.
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Wheretoshoot.org is an excellent tool for finding convenient shooting ranges. Use the mileage, zip code, and city filters to find ranges close to where you want to shoot. Users can add new ranges, and the information is regularly checked for accuracy.
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NJ is home to a number of well-reputed gun stores.
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There is a somewhat active subreddit for gun owners in the state.