New Jersey gun laws: what a buyer actually needs
New Jersey is a permit state, and that single fact shapes every purchase. You cannot walk into a shop, or order from us, and expect to take a gun home on the strength of a driver's licence. The paperwork comes first, it comes from your own police department, and it is worth starting weeks before you plan to buy.
The firearms purchaser identification card
The card, usually called the FID, is the base permission. It covers rifles and shotguns and it also covers the purchase of handgun ammunition. Under N.J.S. 2C:58-3 you apply to the chief of police of the municipality where you live, or to the New Jersey State Police if your town has no full-time department. Applications go through the State Police online system. First-time applicants are fingerprinted, give references who are not relatives, and consent to a mental health records search.
The application fee is $50. Cards issued after 25 October 2022 expire in the tenth calendar year after issue, so a card is no longer a lifetime document. Since July 2022 the statute also requires proof that you finished a firearms safety course approved by the Superintendent of State Police within the four years before you apply.
The permit to purchase a handgun
Every handgun needs its own permit. Each costs $25, and you can apply for several at once, but only one handgun may be bought in any 30-day period. A permit is good for 90 days and the issuing authority can renew it once for another 90 days; after 180 days it is dead and you start again. The statute bars a firearms purchaser identification card to anyone under 18 and a handgun purchase permit to anyone under 21.
State law says a resident application should be granted or denied within 30 days. In practice the time varies a great deal between towns, and the State Police instructions tell departments to move on an expedited basis. If your permits are in hand when your order arrives, the dealer can do the transfer the same day, because New Jersey has no separate statutory waiting period.
Buying online and picking up
Order what you want from our catalogue and choose a licensed New Jersey dealer at checkout. We ship the firearm to that dealer. You bring your card or permit and photo identification, sign federal Form 4473, and the dealer runs the background check and completes the state paperwork. The dealer keeps the handgun permit. Ammunition, optics and most parts ship to your door, though handgun ammunition is regulated: under N.J.S. 2C:58-3.3 a seller must see a firearms purchaser identification card, a copy of a handgun purchase permit or a permit to carry, plus government photo identification.
Magazines and the assault firearms law
New Jersey defines a large capacity ammunition magazine as one that holds more than 10 rounds, and the state also has an assault firearms law that names specific models and applies feature tests to semi-automatic rifles, shotguns and pistols. In July 2026 the en banc Third Circuit held both the assault firearms ban and the magazine limit unconstitutional, but the court granted the state a stay in August 2026 while it petitions the Supreme Court. That means the 10-round limit and the assault firearms list are still being enforced as this is written. Everything we list for New Jersey is chosen to fit the law as it stands, and the picture may change, so check the position before you order anything unusual.
Hollow point ammunition
Hollow nose ammunition may be bought and owned in New Jersey, but N.J.S. 2C:39-3f makes simply carrying it an offence outside a narrow set of circumstances. The statute lets you keep it at your dwelling or on land you own or possess, and carry it from the place of purchase to that home. N.J.S. 2C:39-6 covers travel to and from a target range and a lawful hunt. Take it anywhere else and you are exposed, so plan the drive and leave nothing loose in the car.
What the state does not do
It is worth being clear about what New Jersey does not require, because the state's reputation runs ahead of the statute. There is no registration of ordinary rifles, shotguns or handguns, although the handgun permit does record the make and serial number of the gun you buy. There is no annual renewal of anything except the permit to carry. There is no limit on how many long guns you may buy at once, and no restriction on the number of firearms you may own. The state also has a childproof handgun statute on the books and a requirement that a lockbox or trigger lock be offered with a handgun sale, which your dealer will handle at pickup.
Private sales, transport and age
A private sale in New Jersey is not a handshake. The buyer still needs a card for a long gun or a permit for a handgun, and the transfer paperwork still has to be done. Transport of any firearm has to fit N.J.S. 2C:39-6g: unloaded, in a closed and fastened case or locked in the trunk, going directly between the places the statute allows.
Federal law sets the dealer floor at 18 for rifles and shotguns and 21 for handguns, which lines up with the state age rules for the card and the permit.
Where to go next
If you want to carry, read the permit to carry guide. If you are buying for the December season, the deer gun guide explains why rifles are off the table here and what a slug gun needs to be. For the pheasant and duck side, see the bird gun guide. Buyers in the northwest can start with the High Bridge and Hunterdon County guide, and every one of our city pages lists the nearest dealers, deer zones and public ranges.
General information, not legal advice. Current as of September 2026. Laws change; check the official source before you act.
