New Jersey Gun Laws: Concealed Carry, Open Carry and Buying a Gun

No. New Jersey does not have permitless carry. A handgun may be carried only under a Permit to Carry a Handgun issued under N.J.S. 2C:58-4 (or a statutory exemption such as for law enforcement); the permit authorizes carrying 'in a holster concealed on their person'.

'State of New Jersey Permit to Carry a Handgun' (issued to residents and nonresidents). Applications go first to the chief police officer of the applicant's municipality, or to the Superintendent of State Police for nonresidents, armored-car employees, applicants in towns with no chief of police, and mayors/elected governing-body members. Each application 'shall be accompanied by a $200 application fee' ($150 kept by the municipality, $50 forwarded to the superintendent). The application must be endorsed by 'not less than four reputable persons' who have known the applicant at least three years. The permit issues 'if, but only if' the applicant is not disqualified under 2C:58-3(c), 'is thoroughly familiar with the safe handling and use of handguns', and has completed the required training (renewal applicants trained when obtaining a permit within the previous two years are exempt from repeating classroom and target training). A complete application not approved or denied within 90 days 'shall be deemed to have been approved' (extendable by up to 30 more days for good cause). 'All permits to carry handguns shall expire two years from the date of issuance' and may be renewed every two years. NJSP says applicants must qualify on the CCARE course of fire and submit an SP 182 Safe Handling and Proficiency Certification; out-of-state training or permits do not substitute.

Generally not allowed. The carry permit 'shall not be construed to authorize a holder to carry a handgun openly' (except as provided in 2C:58-4.5(b) for certain security work); a brief, incidental exposure while holstering or from shifting of the body or clothing is 'a de minimis infraction'. NJSP: 'Carrying a handgun openly is not allowed with a concealed carry permit.'

A firearms purchaser identification card (required to acquire a rifle or shotgun) shall not be issued 'To any person under the age of 18 years', and a permit to purchase a handgun shall not be issued 'to any person under the age of 21 years'. The card or permit is required for private transfers as well as dealer sales.

Yes, for all transfers with narrow exceptions. A handgun may not be acquired without a permit to purchase a handgun, and a rifle or shotgun may not be acquired without a firearms purchaser identification card. A person who is not a licensed retail dealer and sells or acquires a handgun, rifle or shotgun 'shall conduct the transaction through a licensed retail dealer', which 'shall complete a National Instant Criminal Background Check' of the buyer. Exceptions: transfers between members of an immediate family, between law enforcement officers, between licensed curio-and-relic collectors, and authorized temporary transfers. For a long-gun private transfer the dealer may charge 'a fee, not to exceed $70'. Application fees: 'a fee of $25' for a permit to purchase a handgun and 'a fee of $50' for a firearms purchaser identification card. 'Only one handgun shall be purchased or delivered on each permit and no more than one handgun shall be purchased within any 30-day period' (with listed exemptions). A handgun purchase permit 'shall be valid for a period of 90 days from the date of issuance'; cards issued or renewed after P.L.2022, c.58 expire in the 10th calendar year after issuance.

Handguns: 'No handgun shall be delivered to any person unless' the person 'possesses and exhibits a valid permit to purchase a firearm and at least seven days have elapsed since the date of application for the permit.' The licensing authority must grant a qualifying permit or card 'within 30 days from the date of receipt of the completed application for residents of this State and within 45 days for nonresident applicants.' No separate delivery waiting period for rifles or shotguns was found beyond the purchaser identification card requirement.

Yes (Extreme Risk Protective Order Act of 2018). 'Petitioner' means 'a family or household member or law enforcement officer.' A petitioner may seek a temporary extreme risk protective order alleging that the respondent 'poses a significant danger of bodily injury to self or others' by having a firearm. A hearing for a final order must be held in Superior Court 'within 10 days of the filing of a petition'; a final order issues if the court finds that danger 'by a preponderance of the evidence'. The statute sets no fixed expiration for a final order; the petitioner or respondent may ask the court to terminate it, and the termination petition 'may be filed at any time following the issuance of the order.'

Both. Assault firearms (listed models and semi-automatic rifles, handguns and shotguns with specified features) 'may only be possessed by a licensed firearms dealer, active-duty law enforcement officers' and active-duty military, according to NJSP. A large capacity magazine is 'a box, drum, tube or other container which is capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition'; possession is a fourth-degree crime under N.J.S.A. 2C:39-3(j), with exceptions for retired officers (up to 15 rounds, for registered handguns) and active-duty officers.

Without a carry permit, firearms may be transported only within the 2C:39-6 exemptions (for example between home, place of purchase, a range, hunting, or repair); while traveling the firearm 'shall be carried unloaded and contained in a closed and fastened case, gun box, securely tied package, or locked in the trunk of the automobile in which it is being transported' (NJSP). For permit holders, 2C:58-4.6(b)(1) (handguns in vehicles must be unloaded and cased) is listed by NJSP as NOT currently enforceable as of 12/11/2025; 2C:58-4.6(b)(2) still bars a permit holder from leaving a handgun in a parked vehicle outside immediate control unless it is unloaded in a closed, fastened case or gunbox not visible from outside, or locked unloaded in the trunk or storage area (a fourth-degree crime). A permit holder stopped while carrying or traveling with a handgun in a vehicle must immediately disclose it and display the permit.

None. NJSP: 'New Jersey does not have reciprocity with any other state.' Nonresidents may apply to the State Police for a New Jersey Permit to Carry a Handgun.

Knowingly carrying a firearm is a crime of the third degree (a brief, incidental entry is a de minimis infraction) in, or on the buildings, grounds or parking areas of: government administration buildings including police stations; courthouses; jails and correctional facilities; State-contracted half-way houses; polling places during an election and ballot storage or tabulation sites; within 100 feet of a permitted public gathering, demonstration or event; schools, colleges, universities and school buses; child care facilities; nursery schools, pre-schools, zoos and summer camps; government parks, beaches, playgrounds and recreation areas designated gun-free; youth sports events; public libraries and museums; homeless and domestic-violence shelters; community residences licensed by DHS or DOH; bars, restaurants and other sites where alcohol is served for on-premises consumption; cannabis retailers and dispensaries; entertainment facilities such as theaters, stadiums and arenas; casinos; energy plants; airports and public transportation hubs; health care facilities; and addiction or mental health treatment facilities (2C:58-4.6(a)(1)-(22)). Private property is off-limits unless the owner gives express consent or posts a sign permitting carry ((a)(24)). Court status per NJSP as of 12/11/2025: (a)(1)-(22) are enforceable; (a)(23) (film and TV production locations) is NOT enforceable; (a)(24) is enforceable only as to private property not held open to the public. Permit holders may store or transport handguns in the parking areas of prohibited places under the conditions in 2C:58-4.6(c).

Banned. Buying or obtaining, separately or as part of a kit, an unserialized firearm frame or receiver, or parts from which a firearm without a serial number may be readily made, in order to make a firearm without a manufacturer registration or license is a crime of the second degree (2C:39-9(k)). Using a three-dimensional printer to make a firearm, receiver, magazine or firearm component without being a registered or licensed manufacturer, or distributing digital printing files for them to unlicensed people in New Jersey, is a second-degree crime (2C:39-9(l)). Manufacturing or assembling a firearm from an unserialized frame or receiver is a second-degree crime (2C:39-9(n)). Covert or undetectable firearms are banned (2C:39-9(m)).