Are firearms legal in New Jersey?

Q: Are firearms legal in New Jersey?

Firearms in New Jersey are restricted. A New Jersey Permit to Carry a Handgun is required. Carrying a handgun without one is a second-degree crime. The permit allows carry only concealed, in a holster. The age is effectively 21, because the permit rules adopt the under-21 bar that applies to handgun permits. Non-residents may apply to the State Police. New Jersey does not honor other states' permits.

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NEW JERSEY · FIREARMS

Firearms

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Restricted: A New Jersey Permit to Carry a Handgun is required.

Restricted

Summary

A New Jersey Permit to Carry a Handgun is required. Carrying a handgun without one is a second-degree crime. The permit allows carry only concealed, in a holster. The age is effectively 21, because the permit rules adopt the under-21 bar that applies to handgun permits. Non-residents may apply to the State Police. New Jersey does not honor other states' permits.

Source: njoag.gov → · Updated October 12, 2026

New Jersey Firearms topics

Concealed Carry in New Jersey →Restricted
A New Jersey Permit to Carry a Handgun is required.
Open Carry in New Jersey →Restricted
Open carry is illegal in New Jersey, with or without a permit.
Magazine Capacity in New Jersey →Restricted
New Jersey bans magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.
Gun Possession in New Jersey →Restricted
New Jersey has a red-flag law (Extreme Risk Protective Order Act, 2018/2019) and bans "assault firearms" and magazines holding more than 10 rounds.
Transporting Firearms in New Jersey →Restricted
Without a New Jersey Permit to Carry, a handgun in a vehicle must be unloaded and in a closed, fastened case or gunbox, or locked in the trunk.
Duty to Inform Police in New Jersey →Conditional
New Jersey has a proactive duty to inform, new as of December 2022: N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4.4(b) requires a permit holder who is stopped or detained while carrying in public, or traveling with a handgun in a vehicle, to immediately disclose that they are carrying — or that a handgun is stored in the vehicle — and to display the carry permit as well.
Suppressors & Silencers in New Jersey →Restricted
Firearm silencers are banned for civilians in New Jersey.
Reciprocity — where is my New Jersey permit honored? →
State-by-state map of which states honor a New Jersey concealed-carry permit.

Other New Jersey laws

Firearms in nearby states

Browse all state laws →

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