NJ gun laws: with the Brian Aiken debacle in NJ, i heard on a radio show that the" license" or" permit" ?

[curadhan74]

That nj issues only gives you the right to purchase a gun not actually do anything with it. If your on your way to hunt and you get pulled over for whatever reason the burden of proof is on you to prove you were going hunting ..the cop can arrest you, take your gun and your in big trouble if the cops a jerk or doesn't believe you. Do you have any rights if someone breaks into your house in nj? Or will you be arrested for defending yourself and sued by the criminal? ..what's the point of owning a gun in nj?

[wendlesora]

New Jersey is one of those totally a$$-backwards states when it comes to firearms and other weapons laws. Unlike most other states, there is no written right to keep and bear arms within the New Jersey State Constitution. All firearms are considered illegal, and the laws in New Jersey spell out the exceptions to this. Air guns that fire .177 BB's and pellets are also considered to be firearms in New Jersey. Airsoft guns are not considered firearms in New Jersey, but there has been some talk about classifying them as such, if you can believe it.

In order to legally own firearms in New Jersey, a resident must apply for and receive a firearms ID card from his or her local police department, which involves getting fingerprinted, answering some silly questions on an application form, passing a criminal records check, and paying a non-refundable fee. A New Jersey resident who has a firearms ID card and wants to own a handgun has to also apply for and receive a pistol permit, and a recent change in New Jersey law has made it so that only one pistol permit can be issued per month for any individual.

If a New Jersey resident wants to legally carry a concealed handgun, he or she would also have to apply for and receive a separate permit fot this too, but the reality of this is that very few people have ever been issued such a permit - it's usually only politically connected New Jersey residents such as judges.

Technically, a person who has a New Jersey firearms ID card may only possess his or her firearm in or on his or her own property or other approved places, such as target ranges or hunting areas. This means that even people with New Jersey firearms ID cards could be arrested on firearm violation charges if they stopped somewhere with a firearm in their vehicle between their home and their approved destination, like a service station to refuel and use the toilet, for example.

When intruders break into the home of New Jersey residents, the residents have the right to defend themselves, but there are no "castle doctrine" laws in New Jersey which explicitly protect a legal resident from being prosecuted. The county prosecutor has the discretion of whether or not to file charges against the resident. If a New Jersey resident uses a gun to defend his or her home from a criminal, he or she will likely face firearm charges if he or she does not also have a New Jersey firearms ID card. This means that a spouse or other family member could be in legal trouble if he or she uses a firearm against an intruder that another member of the household owns legally.

I don't know much about the deal with criminals suing their victims for personal injuries in New Jersey, but I doubt that there are any laws in New Jersey to prevent or discourage this.

Basically, many laws in New Jersey have been passed over the last 50 years to make it more and more difficult for its residents to legally own and use firearms and other weapons. At the same time, the amount of violent crime and murders committed with firearms has considerably increased at the same time, while the prison incarceration rates have actually decreased a bit in recent years. Despite having a Republican governor like Chris Christie now, such is life in the still very "blue" state of New Jersey.

[jasper]

New Jersey is one of those totally a$$-backwards states when it comes to firearms and other weapons laws. Unlike most other states, there is no written right to keep and bear arms within the New Jersey State Constitution. All firearms are considered illegal, and the laws in New Jersey spell out the exceptions to this. Air guns that fire .177 BB's and pellets are also considered to be firearms in New Jersey. Airsoft guns are not considered firearms in New Jersey, but there has been some talk about classifying them as such, if you can believe it.

In order to legally own firearms in New Jersey, a resident must apply for and receive a firearms ID card from his or her local police department, which involves getting fingerprinted, answering some silly questions on an application form, passing a criminal records check, and paying a non-refundable fee. A New Jersey resident who has a firearms ID card and wants to own a handgun has to also apply for and receive a pistol permit, and a recent change in New Jersey law has made it so that only one pistol permit can be issued per month for any individual.

If a New Jersey resident wants to legally carry a concealed handgun, he or she would also have to apply for and receive a separate permit fot this too, but the reality of this is that very few people have ever been issued such a permit - it's usually only politically connected New Jersey residents such as judges.

Technically, a person who has a New Jersey firearms ID card may only possess his or her firearm in or on his or her own property or other approved places, such as target ranges or hunting areas. This means that even people with New Jersey firearms ID cards could be arrested on firearm violation charges if they stopped somewhere with a firearm in their vehicle between their home and their approved destination, like a service station to refuel and use the toilet, for example.

When intruders break into the home of New Jersey residents, the residents have the right to defend themselves, but there are no "castle doctrine" laws in New Jersey which explicitly protect a legal resident from being prosecuted. The county prosecutor has the discretion of whether or not to file charges against the resident. If a New Jersey resident uses a gun to defend his or her home from a criminal, he or she will likely face firearm charges if he or she does not also have a New Jersey firearms ID card. This means that a spouse or other family member could be in legal trouble if he or she uses a firearm against an intruder that another member of the household owns legally.

I don't know much about the deal with criminals suing their victims for personal injuries in New Jersey, but I doubt that there are any laws in New Jersey to prevent or discourage this.

Basically, many laws in New Jersey have been passed over the last 50 years to make it more and more difficult for its residents to legally own and use firearms and other weapons. At the same time, the amount of violent crime and murders committed with firearms has considerably increased at the same time, while the prison incarceration rates have actually decreased a bit in recent years. Despite having a Republican governor like Chris Christie now, such is life in the still very "blue" state of New Jersey.

Brian Aitken is an example of a colossal failure of the system.

But still, NJ is not an anything-friendly state.

We really should just push it into the ocean

[devdutta58]

My honest advice for living in NJ with a gun...is keep it locked in the trunk (unloaded is legal but doesn't matter since cops/judges don't care anyway) and do NOT under any circumstances consent to a search of any kind......and tell the officer nothing of the firearm(s)

** that would make the cop have to get a warrant or be able to PROVE probable cause in a court of law which would get the finding of the gun tossed out unless u were doing something else illegal......

[ashly]

Don't live in NJ.

Sorry I hate it when people comment with out really adding to the conversation but I couldn't help it.

Here are some links that should help, the bottom line is if you are carrying one in your car it must be unloaded and no ammunition near by so put the gun in the cab and the ammo in the trunk.

It appears that you can have one in your home as long as it meets their restrictions like magazines with no more than 15 rounds.

[delton]

Don't live in NJ.

Sorry I hate it when people comment with out really adding to the conversation but I couldn't help it.

Here are some links that should help, the bottom line is if you are carrying one in your car it must be unloaded and no ammunition near by so put the gun in the cab and the ammo in the trunk.

It appears that you can have one in your home as long as it meets their restrictions like magazines with no more than 15 rounds.

new jackoff is a screwed up state. We all know that. And I doubt any type of reform will be made considering that it and its big neighbor are anti-liberty cesspools.

[jorel]

Don't live in NJ.

Sorry I hate it when people comment with out really adding to the conversation but I couldn't help it.

Here are some links that should help, the bottom line is if you are carrying one in your car it must be unloaded and no ammunition near by so put the gun in the cab and the ammo in the trunk.

It appears that you can have one in your home as long as it meets their restrictions like magazines with no more than 15 rounds.

new jackoff is a screwed up state. We all know that. And I doubt any type of reform will be made considering that it and its big neighbor are anti-liberty cesspools.

You'd almost have to think that the safest thing for a gun owner to do when stopped by the police in NJ is the shoot him and drive on.