Blue

This guy may have recourse in civil court, but there seems to be no doubt he violated the law by not obeying the officer's instructions. He should have done everything he was told, then called his lawyer and sued. He somewhat compromised his position by providing resistance. Blue

How about this? Going to EFGA, stop and pick up buddy and his firearms which necessitates a path not "directly to" the range...is this "reasonable"? Blue

100 grain PowR Ball .357 in the 686. 230 grain FMJ .45 ACP in the PX4 Beretta. Blue

The state of NJ can't pull a two-step with this. Just because they play semantics by making a constitutionally-guaranteed right "illegal, but exemptable" doesn't strip any individual of their fifth amendment rights. It is the state's burden to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that an offense has been committed. I played their game, jumped through their friggin' hoops, now I legally own and am allowed to transport and use my handguns in accordance with the law. If I break the law, the state has to prove it, and I am not obligated to help them. I am not naive enough to believe that the state couldn't f*ck me if they wanted. That is why I would never volunteer that I have a firearm in the car at a traffic stop (unless I was specifically questioned about it). If I was asked, I would respond that I am returning from or going to target practice. Or I was transporting it to the gunshop for work, or any other allowed transport. That is all he needs to know. He asked, I answered. I don't believe a LEO can legally go on a fishing expedition without probable cause. If I give him a hard time and some attitude, I will get jerked around, so I obviously would avoid doing so, but I'm not gonna bend over, grab my ankles and help them screw me. Blue

As f*cked up as that is, I read the law the same way. I am not an attorney, but I also believe you do not have to bear witness against yourself, so while transporting to or from this activity, if an LEO asks you where you were, or where you are going, you don't have to tell them a goddam thing. It seems that if you are arrested, you just take the fifth and let them try and prove that you went, or didn't go, anywhere; they would have no way of knowing where your were coming from or where you are headed to. It's impossible to prosecute. Just don't volunteer up any statement. In any case, does anyone here routinely get their trunk searched? So don't piss off a cop pulling you over and you don't have to worry about getting your trunk searched. I had a certified trainer tell me that taking my handgun with a friend who has permission to use private property and being more than 450' from any houses for target practice is OK, as long as there are no local ordinances forbidding the discharge of a firearm. I have an acquaintance who goes in the woods on property he owns and shoots target practice with his hunting shotgun, which would seem to be legal. So if we are on private property, discharging his shotgun is legal, what reason would an LEO have to press the issue on private property? I am assumming that this isn't happening at 1:00 a.m. So while the laws on the books suck, and the NRA has to keep banging on NJ, practically speaking if you are an upstanding citizen, exercise a little discretion, and don't talk your way into a crime, everything will be cool. Blue

Thanks to all, I now know what I need to know. Blue

That is a helpful response, thank you. So for the given the estate sale scenario to be legal, the owner would have to go with me to an FFL in the other state and pay a fee to have that FFL ship the pistol to an FFL in NJ so it can be transferred to me. Is that correct?

Yes, I have a firearms ID card. It appears, from the process I went through to buy the handguns I currently own, that this handgun must pass through a licensed dealer in this state for me to take possession of it, so in this situation where the pistol was not legally possessed (at least in the eyes of the state of NJ) by the previous owner, what good would a handgun purchase permit do? What I am asking is if there is a way to bring this firearm into a legal status in NJ. What if I said I purchased it out of state in an estate sale, for instance? That there is no documentation to prove (or disprove) that statement? I appreciate all responses, but especially informative ones that aren't patronizing...nuff said. Blue

But it wasn't obtained through a licensed dealer, so what good would getting a handgun purchase permit for it?

I had someone I know give me a a very old break breach, single shot, single action handgun chambered for .22 LR. What would it take for this to be legally possessed and used by me in NJ? Thanks, Blue