Hi everyone. How y'all doin?

 

I have some questions regarding the laws here in NJ.

 

NJ native here, born and raised, and am a college student at Rutgers U.

 

Anyway. My father owns a Beretta M92 pistol and all it really does is sit in his closet locked up collecting dust. For some quick background information I am 19. I don't have my purchaser's license for long arms yet but I will soon. I have a huge interest in pistols (in fact one of my favorites is the Sig Sauer P226 .40).

 

That said, the pistol is registered under my father's name and was bought by him, 100% legally of course.

 

Is there any way he can transfer ownership to me? I know I can buy and possess a long arm after all the proper documentation has been completed and is in possession but I also know I have to wait until I'm 21 to buy a pistol which IS TOO FAR .

 

If he can transfer ownership to me, would I be able to go to shooting ranges and go for target practice? My main interest in firearms is similar to one having in interest in cars, as a hobby. Main purposes will be for target practice and recreation, and if push come to shove, personal home protection.

 

I say home protection because I now live on my own and rent my own apartment with roommates. And let me tell you...coming from living in snobby Bergen County, living in a "less fortunate" area has me more on my guard than ever before. So far I've had three friends' houses get robbed, 1 of which was robbed three times in a row in a matter of a month. A guy who's an upstairs tenant was jumped at gun point and my neighbors already had two of their cars broken into. Not to mention my house was broken into and my brand new Macbook was stolen not even after 3 weeks of owning it. And I'm in my second year, this is my first living off-campus. Now this isn't to say I just got a grasp of reality, I've always been mature enough to see that there was bad and evil in the world but didn't know it would happen so quickly amongst my friends AND myself.

 

So the question once again is, would I be able to take ownership of my father's M92? Or do I have to wait to own it just like I have to wait to buy one? Google has been a little inconclusive and I've done some reading but still scratch my head so I'd rather have people with experience tell me.

 

In addition, whether or not if I'm able to get the pistol, I am regardless going to buy a long arm in the future, most likely a shotgun (I have a nack for pump actions and double horizontal barrel). Or I just might get a bolt action .22 and mod the hell out of it. Is there a state wide law that prohibits possession of a firearm on a rented property? So basically would it be illegal for me to possess a firearm in my rented apartment? There's nothing in the lease contract that mentions prohibition of possession of weapons.

 

Any and all help is greatly appreciated and I look forward to working with this community.

 

Cheers everyone

Hey there, welcome to the boards. I've got a couple buddies at RU who ran into the same trouble you speak of (the shoot out that happened in 2008 between the bank robbers and the police ended right in front of their house actually). As for the pistol, I don't think there would be any chance. Inheritance is the only method I've read about, but I wouldn't wish for that to come to fruition. Long guns shouldn't be an issue though, once you get your FID. That's just what I've got from the boards though, and don't take my word for it.

 

As for the rented property question, that is actually something I've been meaning to ask for myself. I'll probably be transferring to RU myself in the near future, and would want to move closer to school... I'd probably be living in Edison myself, but in the same situation (rented space). I wouldn't mind some clarification on that myself.

 

If you want to go shooting some time, a bunch of us meet up on Tuesdays. No need to have a FID to shoot at Brick Armory. Otherwise, good to have some more young blood on the forums finally... haha.

Welcome to the group.

 

If your name is on the lease and it's current, than you're considered "in possession" of the property and can freely possess a gun there.

i am in a similar situation as well. i believe you will need to get your FID, then your pistol permit, then fill out the certificate of eligibility when you are 21.

My reading of the law is as such:

 

Even if inherited, you would need to dispose of the handgun within 180 days as you are not "legally" entitled to own a HG until you are 21.

 

It's his handgun and even face to face you would need a pistol permit to purchase it.

 

A little sarcasm, but a little harshness follows, please understand my motivation properly:

Hypothetical here, but if your macbook was stolen, what is going to prevent your shotgun from being stolen?? None of us need another NB gangbanger with a stolen weapon... And if you're going to put it in a safe, then maybe that's where your Macbook should have been?

Hypothetical here, but if your macbook was stolen, what is going to prevent your shotgun from being stolen?? None of us need another NB gangbanger with a stolen weapon... And if you're going to put it in a safe, then maybe that's where your Macbook should have been?

 

My thoughts exactly Dan. Considering all the break-ins, if you purchased a firearm you would be very neglectful to not have a means to lock it up.

 

Not trying to be mean, but if the robberies are occuring when nobody is home, having an unsecured firearm in the house is asking for trouble.

I'll take it more as instructive criticism if anything.

 

Thanks for giving the other perspective.

 

Had I been able to get the pistol I would've kept it in a safe...albeit not a giant safe but one which could be stored either in my bed or in my sock drawer. Something like this:

 

 

As for the long arm I guess I'm going to have to give it some thought.

 

Also. my Macbook was in my living room at the time of theft and someone forgot to deadbolt the back door. All the windows are deadbolted and cannot be accessed unless one had a ladder. Also I have an individual lock on my room door that I lock routinely when I'm out of the house.

 

Is there such thing as a single rifle safe, or would a lockable case work, like this but with a scroll combo lock or a key...

 

As long as you can attach those to the floor, or maybe lock it to an exposed pipe or radiator... I feel your pain, when my buds lived in NB (on Guilden and then Delafield), that place was like a second home... after having spent a couple years "living" there, I definitely felt like I could use a firearm, but I don't know if it would be for the best. Honestly, if you want to have firearms in a place like NB, you definitely want to go to certain lengths to secure them as best as possible. Between the thieves and the drunk a--holes, you never know who could get their hands on your stuff :roll:

 

Screw it down to the framing, not just the flooring, find the studs/joists and screw it down.

Not cheap, but they make this:

 

http://www.gunsafes.com/Closet-Vault.html

 

Could probably buy a regular safe for less.

I take it you are a college student so, you've got more brains and brawn than money...

 

So, for a safe, surf Craigslist. I'm sure you've got a really foolish friend with a truck who has no idea how much a good safe weighs...

 

Search for the following safe manufacturers:

Meilink

Mosler

Diebold

This list is not all inclusive, but these are the more common names.

 

I mention these because these are commercial safes and are generally at 'giveaway' prices and often are more impenetrable than your run of the mill gun safe at Dicks or Cabelas.

 

Secondly - if you do a search on Craigslist for "safe" - you will get everything - safe sex, safe cars, safe skis, etc...

You can forget about the handgun for a few more years, so sit back and ask yourself a few questions.

 

1. do you live on campus and if so could you legally own a firearm there?

 

2. do you really want the responsibility of owning a firearm living with roommates ( that also don't lock doors behind them)?

 

3. do your roommates drink? A drinking roommate just may land you with a very large legal bill if he were to get a hold of a long gun.

 

Even thou you only want one shotgun I would suggest a 14 gun safe. You can find them for around five or $600 and there large enough that no one can just pick the thing up and walk away with it once its bolted to the floor. you can also store valuables in there too.

3. do your roommates drink? A drinking roommate just may land you with a very large legal bill if he were to get a hold of a long gun.

 

 

Think Jayson Williams...

There is no law against owning firearms on rented property. Unless there is a prohibition in the lease, it is your home just the same as a house, under the common law rule of right to exclusive possession. However, continue living off campus, as Rutgers University no doubt has rules against having firearms in any of its dorms.

 

You also cannot purchase or be given a handgun until you are 21. It used to be that you could purchase at 18, just not from a dealer. NJ closed that loophole, I believe back in the Whitman administration.

 

If you do purchase a rifle or shotgun, make sure you take precautions so that your roommates can't have access to it.

There is no law against owning firearms on rented property. Unless there is a prohibition in the lease, it is your home just the same as a house, under the common law rule of right to exclusive possession. However, continue living off campus, as Rutgers University no doubt has rules against having firearms in any of its dorms.

 

You also cannot purchase or be given a handgun until you are 21. It used to be that you could purchase at 18, just not from a dealer. NJ closed that loophole, I believe back in the Whitman administration.

 

If you do purchase a rifle or shotgun, make sure you take precautions so that your roommates can't have access to it.

 

Being that Rutgers owns most of New Brunswick and Johnson & Johnson owns the rest I'd be very very careful. Being so close to hospital and campus grounds might make things a bit more difficult.

 

Also I highly recommend reading this book: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0936279133/ref=ox_ya_oh_product

 

A gun in the home is only effective if you're home to use it, this book will help you understand a bit more about home protection and give you some general ideas about what to do in the case of a home invasion.