Dr. Goodshot

The "dealer locator" on the Smith & Wesson website used to list dealers which have S&W certified armorers on site. I'm pretty sure I remember that until recently they listed Bullet Hole in Belleville and G3 Unlimited as having S&W armorers. Those two places are not listed as having gunsmiths now, but under Mike's Gun Shop it does say "Gunsmith on Site".

Thanks for that. So do you take care of the boxing and packing of the gun too? All I would have to do is bring you the naked gun?

No, they did not send me a label. I'm talking about just sending my gun to, say, a specialist gunsmith in another state. So I would have to create the label and pay for the shipping.

From what I understand, new policies at FedEx and UPS prohibit an individual, non-FFL from shipping a firearm. So if I need to ship a gun to a company for repair, how can I do it? Will a gun store or a range where I'm a member ship the item for me? Has anyone shipped their gun in this way? Do they charge for this service? Gun store websites usually list all the services they provide, but I've never seen one that says "You can drop your gun off here for shipment." Also, would they allow the gun to be shipped back to them and let me pick it up there, like if I am not secure about the package receiving situation at home? https://www.ups.com/us/en/support/shipping-support/shipping-special-care-regulated-items/prohibited-items/firearms.page https://www.fedex.com/en-us/shipping/how-to-ship-firearms.html

It would make sense to exempt anyone with a permit to purchase a handgun from NICS checks, since the permit to purchase background check is way more rigorous than NICS, and very recent if the permit is still valid.

But then that is followed by 4(g) which states: g.All weapons being transported under paragraph (2) of subsection b., subsection e., or paragraph (1) or (3) of subsection f. of this section shall be carried unloaded and contained in a closed and fastened case, gunbox, securely tied package, or locked in the trunk of the automobile in which it is being transported, and in the course of travel shall include only such deviations as are reasonably necessary under the circumstances. In other words, whether you are transporting under (1) - member of a club - or (3) - regular person going to the range - you are subject to the same rules regarding "reasonable deviations" and how to package your firearm for transportation. Then, the attorney general's letter clarifies what "reasonable deviation" means, and it covers both types of people transporting, members of clubs and non-members. There is nothing in there about how you get to deviate more if you're the member of a pistol club (https://www.state.nj.us/oag/dcj/agguide/transporting-firearms_guide.pdf). So in practical terms, unless I'm missing something, I'm not seeing how transporting under f(1) gives you more privileges than under f(3).

Question: I understand that if you don't use a permit to purchase a handgun within 90 days of issuance, you are automatically granted an extension for another 90 days. So you don't have to ask or request it or anything? Is it just automatically granted to anyone who hasn't used all their permits? And secondly, when the permits are extended, do you get an email from the FARS/NJ Portal system saying that they have been extended?

Maybe the poster meant to say Glock 48? That would make much more sense for concealed carry. It's hard to keep all the model numbers straight.

Another thing that is unclear: the application has to be notarized, but what about the signatures of the references? Do they have to be notarized? It does not state clearly on the application one way or another, so I can imagine a police department arbitarily deciding that those signatures have to be notarized as well. That will be much harder for them to do if the system goes online.

Can a person who lives in NJ get a New York permit? A permit would be much more valuable if I could also carry a gun on my occasional trips to "the city".

If by the end of the year, you mean THIS year, I would say that is a bit optimistic. Everything takes much longer than it should. I would look at the whole thing as a long term project, and think of yourself as playing the long game. It will definitely be done by the end of some year, but probably not this one.

It would probably benefit others and be very useful if you could kindly keep us updated as to how things go.

I think they might let you withdraw an application. I did have an application withdrawn when one of my references didn't respond after a week, so I gave up on him and started a new application. I called the PD and said I'd like to have an application withdrawn, and they said it would be automatically withdrawn once the new application comes in. Of course my MIA reference finally sent in his reference about 15 minutes after I completed the second application. I got an "application withdrawn" email. Not the same circumstance, but at least we know there is such a thing. If that is not an option you could perhaps also ask if they would hold the application, just sit on it until you've had time to get a letter from a doctor saying you're OK to handle firearms. Once you have such a letter from a medical doctor, you should be good to go according to the NJ gun statute. Of course you will probably need to talk to a lawyer as well.

All the emails I got were sent at 6:01-6:04 AM, excepting the ones that are generated immediately after a specific event, such as when a friend finishes filling out their reference questionnaire.

Whoops, yes, you are right. It just needs to be in "a closed and fastened case, gunbox, securely tied package, or locked in the trunk of the automobile in which it is being transported." It doesn't have to be locked. This is when transporting a handgun to and from the range or transporting a rifle to and from the range when you don't own an FID card.

IF you have an FID card, you can keep it on your back or anywhere. You are allowed to possess it, period. The thing about transporting and how you transport it in a locked case, that's if you're transporting to a range and you DON'T have an FID card (according to my understanding).

I, um, know someone who has done that with blocked articles, but last time this person tried to do it, it didn't work. I think the nj.com folks have figured out a way to stop people from using that workaround...

No it is not silly at all. I believe Massad Ayoob recommends it... Edit: Whoops, I didn't read the question carefully enough. He recommends foam ear plugs plus ear muffs. I don't know about muffs over electronic plugs. I was wondering about wearing electronic ear plugs over electronic ear muffs.... I worry that might let in too much sound, and some loud sound might sneak in there...

See question #11: https://www.njsp.org/firearms/firearms-faqs.shtml

Oh, well things are different than when I applied two years ago.... that explains why I didn't get that email, even though I got it really quickly last time. Thanks for letting me know.

I was wondering, did you get an email at some point that said: "Status Update: Criminal History Check Completed" ? What date did you get that? I'm just wondering for purposes of comparing with my own pending application...

You go to the gun store, find the gun you want, and then fill out the paperwork for the background check and pay for it. You do have to wait ten days from the time you buy it to the time you pick it up. But there's none of this business of getting a permit from the police department or anything like that. That doesn't exist there. They do have an approved firearms list, and anything not on that list you can't buy. My army vet friend who lives there, for example, can't buy a fifth generation Glock like we NJ people can because they're not on the list. Only the third generation Glock is. Also, assault rifles cannot have even one "evil feature." Here you can have one. However, some counties there are shall-issue for carry permits. Some are not. My friend has a carry permit and he's not a cop or ex-cop or anything like that.

It's along the same lines as the revolver with the pink grip. Ladies want a cute pink grip on their gun??? https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/model-642?sku=150466&preselect=1

Wait a second. When I applied for four permits, I then was taken to a page that said "Pay $21 now." The confirmation page says "Payment to the issuing police department $8.00." I assume the $8 is for the four permits. Are you saying that the $8.00 is not the cost of the four permits at $2 each? That I will ALSO have to go in and pay another $8 to the actual police department when they approve my permits?

Yes, it is weird. If my favorite store is not an authorized dealer any more, does this mean there is some reason I shouldn't purchase my next Smith & Wesson gun from them? I don't know, maybe their website is being updated or something. I noticed that when I put in 07104 there is now one more dealer listed than there was about a week ago.... So maybe they'll show back up??? Please let us know if S&W gets back to you with any useful info...