New Jersey Gun Laws: A Plain Guide for 2026
New Jersey has some of the most detailed gun laws in the country. Almost every purchase needs a state permit, many common rifles and magazines are restricted, and carrying a handgun in public needs a separate permit with its own training standard. This guide sums up the main rules as of September 2026. It is general information, not legal advice. The statutes live mainly in N.J.S.A. 2C:39 and 2C:58, and the New Jersey State Police Firearms Investigation Unit runs the permit systems.
Who issues New Jersey firearm permits
New Jersey residents apply online through the NJSP Firearms Application and Registration System, known as FARS. The application goes to the police department that covers your home address. In most towns that is the municipal police department and its chief. In towns covered by the State Police, the application goes to the NJSP, and since March 2025 those files are handled by the Firearms Investigation Unit rather than the local station. Pick the right department in the portal, because fees are not refunded if you file with the wrong one.
Buying a rifle or shotgun
To buy a long gun from a dealer you need a Firearms Purchaser Identification Card, or FPIC. You must be at least 18. The initial card costs $50, paid to the police department, plus fingerprinting through the state vendor. Cards issued on applications filed after October 25, 2022 carry a color photo and expire in the tenth calendar year after issue, then renew for ten years at a time. The card also lets you buy handgun ammunition at a New Jersey dealer. Our FPIC guide covers the application step by step.
Buying a handgun
Handguns need a Permit to Purchase a Handgun for each gun, on top of the FPIC. You must be 21. Each permit costs $25 plus a background fee. A permit is valid for 90 days and renews automatically once for another 90 days, for a total of 180 days, with no further extension. You may buy only one handgun in a 30-day period unless you applied for a Multiple Handgun Purchase Exemption in the same application. See our handgun permit guide for details.
Training and background checks
A 2022 law, P.L.2022, c.131, added a training element for FPIC and handgun permit applicants. In the FARS application you review the State Police Firearms Safety and Awareness presentation. Every applicant also signs a mental health records consent, and the police department checks state and federal records. When you pick up a gun, the New Jersey dealer runs a background check through the State Police, which is the point of contact for federal NICS checks in New Jersey. Private sales, with narrow exceptions such as some immediate family transfers, must also go through a licensed dealer with the same permits.
Assault firearms
New Jersey bans the possession, sale and transfer of assault firearms under N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5(f), with the definition in 2C:39-1(w). The law lists specific models, including AR-15 and AK-type rifles, and covers firearms substantially identical to them. It also covers semi-automatic rifles that take a detachable magazine and have two or more listed features, such as a folding or telescoping stock, a pistol grip that sticks out below the action, a bayonet mount, a flash suppressor or threaded barrel, or a grenade launcher. Similar feature tests apply to semi-automatic pistols and shotguns. Many rifles sold elsewhere are sold in New Jersey only in fixed or featureless versions.
On July 17, 2026, the full Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 10 to 5 that the assault firearm ban and the magazine limit violate the Second Amendment. The court then stayed its own ruling while New Jersey seeks review by the U.S. Supreme Court. That means both laws remain in effect and enforceable. Do not order a rifle that meets the state definition for delivery to a New Jersey dealer. The dealer cannot transfer it to you. Watch for news from the Supreme Court before assuming anything has changed.
Magazine capacity
Since 2018 New Jersey has limited magazines to 10 rounds. Possessing a large capacity magazine is a fourth-degree crime for most civilians. There are narrow exceptions, for example certain tubular and fixed magazines on .22 caliber rimfire rifles. Retired law enforcement officers have their own rules. Many handguns sold nationally come with 15 or 17 round magazines, so New Jersey buyers need the 10-round version, and dealers will not transfer standard magazines to residents.
Ammunition and hollow points
To buy handgun ammunition, or ammunition that works in both handguns and long guns, at a New Jersey dealer you must show an FPIC, a handgun purchase permit or a carry permit. Hollow point ammunition is legal to buy and keep in your home or on land you own, at a range, while hunting, and while traveling directly between those places. The State Police say hollow points are not legal for concealed carry.
Carrying a handgun
After the Supreme Court's 2022 Bruen decision, New Jersey rewrote its carry law. Residents apply online for a Permit to Carry a Handgun through the same police department that handles their FARS applications. You need four references, a list of every handgun you will carry with serial numbers, a mental health records consent and range qualification under the State Police Civilian Carry Assessment and Range Evaluation (CCARE) protocol, taught by a certified instructor who gives you a signed SP 182 form. The total fee is $226 for applicants already fingerprinted. Permits are good for two years and can be renewed up to four months before they expire.
Even with a permit, carry is banned in a long list of sensitive places under N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4.6. Parts of that list have been blocked by federal courts and parts are enforceable, and the appeals are still going. The State Police keep a current summary on their concealed carry page. Check it before you carry, because you are responsible for knowing the current list.
Transporting firearms
Outside carry permit use, you may move firearms only for specific purposes, such as between home and a range, a hunting area, a dealer or a gunsmith. Carry them unloaded, in a closed and fastened case or locked trunk, and go directly with only reasonable stops.
What this means when you order online
Our catalog comes from a national distributor. It includes rifles, magazines and parts that New Jersey residents cannot legally receive. Every firearm ships to a licensed dealer you choose, and New Jersey law decides what that dealer can transfer. Before ordering, call your New Jersey dealer and confirm the exact model and magazine are New Jersey legal. Browse the shop, find your nearest New Jersey city page, or read our deer shotgun guide and home defense guide.
Where to check the law
The New Jersey State Police Firearms Investigation Unit, the Office of the Attorney General and the legislature's statute site are the sources to trust. Laws here change often, and several are in active litigation. Recheck before any purchase.
General information, not legal advice. Current as of September 2026. Laws change; check the official source before you act.
