Hello from North Haledon!

[JohnnieHaddad 3]

59 minutes ago, maintenanceguy said:

An overview for NJ:

(1) There is no such thing as a carry permit in NJ. In fact, we like to put people in jail from other states who think their carry permits are recognized here.   The law says something about carry permits but they don't actually exist in the wild.  Nobody gets approved unless you're connected.  http://www.nj2as.org/elitism_exposed

(2) Purchase of a long gun (shotguns or rifles) can only be done after you have a Firearms Purchaser's ID Card (FID).  A card is good forever once you get one (unless you change your address).  You get the application from your local PD and they take anywhere from 1-5 months to approve the application even though the law says they get 30 days to do so.

You also need an FID to purchase handgun ammunition in NJ.  Buy your handgun ammo in PA or DE.  Oh, and don't buy hollow point ammo.  It's legal to own but there are restrictions on when you can transport.  If you accidentally drop a round in your trunk and then go to church, you could end up in prison.  Welcome to NJ.

(3) Purchase of handguns requires a new permit each time.  The application for a "Permit to Purchase a Handgun" (P2P) is the same application as the application for the FID.  Same process, same wait.  One permit gets you one gun.  You can apply for as many as you want but they're only good for 90 days and you can only buy one handgun every 30 days.  Many PD's call you to pick up permits a few days after the permits are approved so you don't really get 90 days to use them.  You can apply for one extension of an additional 90 days but it's up to the local PD whether they approve extensions or not.  Some do, some don't.

(4) lots of guns are illegal here.  NJ calls them "assault weapons".  There's a list of about 60 guns (assault weapons) that are banned by name.  There are banned handguns and shotguns but the ones that cause the most problem are usually the banned rifles .   For example, you can't own an AR15 in NJ.  But since all of the AR15 clones are called something else, they're okay.  It's only illegal if it's stamped "AR15".  

Then there is the "evil features" list.  You can only have a semi-auto rifle with a detachable magazine if it has only 1 "evil feature".  The evil features are pistol grip, flash hider, bayonet mount, adjustable stock, and grenade launcher. If you have two of these evil features, it's illegal.   So, we own AR15's that are made by other companies (so they aren't stamped AR15), we put muzzle brakes on them instead of flash hiders (which must be welded in place so we don't ever remove them), we grind off the bayonet mount lugs, and we drill and pin the stock so it can't adjust anymore.  This must all be done by the gun shop before you are allowed to touch the gun.  It's just good common sense.  http://themaintenanceguy.com/gfimages/definition-nj-assault-weapons.pdf

(5) An FID card lets you transport long guns as long as they are cased and unloaded or in the trunk.   You can never transport a handgun unless you are traveling between (a) your home, (b) a shooting range, (c) your fixed place of business that you own, (d) a gun shop that is going to do work on your gun, (e) a new residence - while moving.   Even then you must transport unloaded, cased, or locked in the trunk.   Want to take your handgun back to your parent's farm to shoot tin cans - felony.

(6) Registration of firearms is voluntary in NJ.  If you purchase a handgun using a permit, that permit gets sent back to the State, so consider that registered, but you do not have to register anything else.  There is a form to register your guns.  Some PD's have told people that it's required when you move here. It's not.  Don't do it.

Thanks for the info. I'm learning quickly that much of the gun culture I knew, even in MA, is taboo here. 

Here's a question: what qualifies as a trunk? I drive a hatchback, so technically I always have access to the "trunk." If I were to travel with a firearm, unloaded and strapped down [or something] would I be breaking a law, as it is in the same contained space as I am?

[JohnnieHaddad 3]

14 hours ago, capt14k said:

How sad is this guy moves from one of the most Liberal of the Communist States yet still had a concealed carry permit. Welcome.

They say that a conservative from Massachusetts is a screaming liberal anywhere else. I said for my whole life that I would live anywhere and pursue my career anywhere, EXCEPT NEW JERSEY. Yet here I am. I found an amazing job at a great church that I couldn't pass up. I'm pleased with my job, home and community. I don't like the gun laws.

[maintenanceguy 510]

6 hours ago, JohnnieHaddad said:

Thanks for the info. I'm learning quickly that much of the gun culture I knew, even in MA, is taboo here. 

Here's a question: what qualifies as a trunk? I drive a hatchback, so technically I always have access to the "trunk." If I were to travel with a firearm, unloaded and strapped down [or something] would I be breaking a law, as it is in the same contained space as I am?

 

Read Through NJ NJSA 2C:39-5 and 2C:39-6.  That covers most of NJ's gun laws and it's not a bad read.  The section that tells you how you can transport is below.  Remember that NJ's laws are in two parts.  The first says that you can't possess or transport a firearm.  The second section lists a few exceptions to the first part.  The exceptions are commonly called "the exemptions".

NJSA 2C:39-6 (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.”

[maintenanceguy 510]

And the "assault weapon's" ban isn't in the actual statute.   NJ legislature passed the assault weapons ban.  The ban said here is a list of guns that are illegal and any gun that is "substantially identical" to one on this list is also illegal.  Some guy sued and said that there is no such thing as "substantially identical".  The judge agreed and told NJ's AG to come up with what "substantially identical means".

NJ's AG apparently lost his mind and wrote a list of rules that had absolutely nothing to do with the guns on the banned list.  He came up with the "5 evil features" list as the test to see if a gun is "substantially identical" and therefore illegal.  The judge approved the absurd definition and it became the law.

[Oakridgefirearms 224]

2 hours ago, maintenanceguy said:

 

NJ's AG apparently lost his mind and wrote a list of rules that had absolutely nothing to do with the guns on the banned list.  He came up with the "5 evil features" list as the test to see if a gun is "substantially identical" and therefore illegal.  The judge approved the absurd definition and it became the law.

Not exactly - then AG, Peter Verniero, was ordered by the judge to define what "Substantially Identical" means. He then plagiarized the "evil features" list from the federal AWB that was in effect at the time, and said this would be the standard to see if a firearm was "substantially identical" to a firearm that is listed by name in the statue. At some point later on this became the standard that the NJSP used to determine what an "assault weapon" is, regardless of whether or not it is similar to something on the list.

 

FYI - I was talking to Nappen and he told me he is defending someone who got arrested for possession of an "assault weapon",  a Ruger 10/22 with to many "evil features". He is fighting the charges based on the fact that a 10/22 is not "substantially identical" to anything on the list - should he prevail in this case he would be setting the president that if there is nothing similar on the ban list, the "evil features" game doesn't apply. So, you would be able to buy a SCAR, Tavor, Kriss and other firearms that were not dreamed up when that list was created, with all the bells and whistles.

 

Also, just to clarify for the OP - NJ law requires all firearms to be transported unloaded and in a case or wrapped and securely tied OR unloaded and in the trunk. So if you have a hatchback, make sure the firearms are in a secure case. Keeping them out of sight is also a wise idea.

[capt14k 2,052]

If you have NJ FPID long gun does not have to be cased, just unloaded. It can be sitting on the front seat next to you and you could drive around all day like that. Not saying I would want to test it, but there have been times I had an unloaded uncased rifle laying across the back seat of my full size SUV. Unless there was a change in the law some time in the last 2 years that I missed I believe this still applies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JohnnieHaddad 3]

I'm thinking I won't be doing any transporting anytime soon!