Hey Everyone,

 

I'm moving back to New Jersey from Philadelphia (for work). I'm 25 years old and work in NYC so I am going to be living in Hoboken. My question I have for the sharp legal minds on this forum revolves around Residency and where i keep my firearms. 

A lot of people my age maintain their legal residency at their parents' house. The reason is because renting apartments can get complicated. Room mates leave, get married, move in with significant others, and rents increase. I've moved 5 times in the last 5 years. If the trend continues when I move to Hoboken I will have to reapply for an FID every single time I move in addition to changing my address on my driver's licence. 

To avoid all this bureaucracy, I want to change my address to my mother's house. I will rent an apartment in Hoboken but my DL and my FID will have my mom's address. 

I've been trying to get a lawyer on the phone to discuss this issue (no luck thus far...with it being a holiday week and my one issue not being a very lucrative case). I have looked up some of the NJ Firearms laws:

Nothing in subsections b., c. and d. of N.J.S.2C:39-5 shall be construed to prevent a person keeping or carrying about his place of business, residence, premises or other land owned or possessed by him, any firearm, or from carrying the same, in the manner specified in subsection g. of this section, from any place of purchase to his residence or place of business, between his dwelling and his place of business, between one place of business or residence and another when moving, or between his dwelling or place of business and place where such firearms are repaired, for the purpose of repair. For the purposes of this section, a place of business shall be deemed to be a
fixed location.

The term "other land owned or possessed by him" seems to me like a property I rent. However, I understand that this can be interrupted as me living in Hoboken because I will spend a majority of my time there, in which case I don't know if I would be breaking a law?  

Appreciate any input on this! 

Thanks,
Amagi

You may be breaking the law because your parents place isn't your primary residence. 

 

Your hoboken apt qualifies as a residence even if you rent. You don't have to own it. 

You should be fine.  Going through my divorce I still had my marital home as my FID address, but kept some of my guns at my apartment and some of my guns at my house.  Seeing that my name was still on the lease and I was staying at my old house at least once night per week, there is certainly a case that I live there.

 

Look, think of it this way.  If you own a home in Cherry Hill, and a summer home in Margate, but your FID lists your home in Cherry Hill as your residence - you are still allowed to take your guns to your home in Margate.

 

For all intents and purposes, you live in two places.  Don't overthink this.   Mom's house is always home base no matter where you go in this life.

I shoot on some wooded property I own that is not connected to my home.  It is not my primary residence but is other land possessed by me.  I'm not worried.

If your home is flooded (passaic river 2012, passaic river 2011) and must be gutted, you still cannot legally pack up all your guns and ammo and ask your dad / mom to "just hold them for me"

 

 

It's a shame that all my guns would be lost in such a flood...  between that and boating accidents I just have no luck.

You are over thinking this.  There is nothing in the law that says you may not have multiple residences, nor does it say primary residence.