{"id":375020,"date":"2016-03-31T21:35:59","date_gmt":"2016-04-01T02:35:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/state\/new-jersey-law\/new-jersey-gun-control-laws.html"},"modified":"2024-10-30T13:15:00","modified_gmt":"2024-10-30T18:15:00","slug":"new-jersey-gun-control-laws","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/new-jersey-law\/new-jersey-gun-control-laws.html","title":{"rendered":"New Jersey Gun Control Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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New Jersey Gun Control Laws<\/h1>\n
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\n By John Mascolo, Esq.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by FindLaw Staff<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Fact-Checked\n <\/summary>\n\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

Gun control remains a hotly debated topic throughout the country. While the federal government has limited control over the ownership and use of firearms, state gun control laws vary between the individual states. New Jersey gun control laws are some of the strictest in the U.S., a reflection of substantial consensus between members of the state legislature and the governor’s office in recent years.<\/p>\r\n

Discussion of gun control often centers on the prevalence of gun violence. Mass shootings devastate communities, but public safety concerns about gun deaths go beyond the headlines. Recent gun death statistics<\/a> demonstrate that 54% of gun deaths result from suicide and 43% result from murder. Gun deaths involving children and teenagers saw a 50% increase between 2019 and 2021.<\/p>\r\n

Lawmakers seeking to reduce access to firearms must balance their interest to protect the public with the rights of gun owners to own firearms for self-defense and other lawful purposes. The Second Amendment<\/a> of the U.S. Constitution acknowledges a right for citizens to bear arms. <\/p>\r\n

In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a New York state licensing system that made it difficult to get concealed carry permits. In New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen<\/i>, the Court set forth a new historical test<\/a> for determining if state regulations placed an undue burden on the constitutional right to own guns. As a result, challenges to gun regulations have increased in courts nationwide.<\/p>\r\n

Most federal laws regulating firearms were enacted in the last century. They include laws addressing the legal manufacture, sale, ownership, and possession of firearms. Certain dangerous weapons, such as machine guns, must be registered and are strictly controlled. <\/p>\r\n

Federal law also bans certain persons from possessing firearms, including felons and those who abuse illegal drugs. Firearms dealers who have a federal license must run a criminal background check on purchasers prior to delivery of a firearm. This helps keep guns from those Congress has determined are dangerous. <\/p>\r\n

State regulations can go further. They can set other restrictions on purchase, use, and possession. States vary in their response.<\/p>\r\n

New Jersey Gun Control Laws<\/h2>\r\n

New Jersey has some of the toughest gun laws in the United States. In 2021, it had the third-lowest gun death rate in the nation. Since his election in 2017, Governor Phil Murphy has made gun violence prevention a hallmark of his tenure in office, signing several new firearms regulations into law including a red flag law and a law requiring private firearms transactions to go through a licensed gun dealer for a background check.<\/p>\r\n

In recent years, the state has also banned assault weapons (called assault firearms in New Jersey) and ghost guns, firearms that are often untraceable. The state’s assault firearms law prohibits possession of the following unless licensed by the state:<\/p>\r\n