New Jersey Carry Laws

Permit to Carry Required - Very Strict

New Jersey requires a permit to carry. One of the most restrictive states with many prohibited sensitive places.

PERMIT TO CARRY REQUIRED - VERY STRICT
New Jersey

New Jersey requires a permit to carry. One of the most restrictive states with many prohibited sensitive places.

Authority: P.L.2022, c.131 (New Jersey Legislature official chapter law) — amending N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4.

Magazine Limit - 10 Rounds Maximum

New Jersey: Max 10 rounds Possessing large-capacity magazines may be a crime.

MAGAZINE LIMIT - 10 ROUNDS MAXIMUM
New Jersey

New Jersey: Max 10 rounds Possessing large-capacity magazines may be a crime.

Authority: N.J.S. 2C:39-1(y) (definition, >10 rounds) and 2C:39-3(j) (possession = fourth-degree crime).

Prohibited Places - 25 'Sensitive Places' (2022 Law, Partly Enjoined)

New Jersey (N.J.S. 2C:58-4.6, L.2022 c.131): carrying even with a permit is a third-degree crime in 25 listed 'sensitive places' -- government buildings and police stations, courthouses, correctional facilities, polling places and ballot-tabulation sites, permitted public gatherings (within 100 feet), schools/colleges/school buses, child care and summer camps, designated gun-free government parks/beaches/playgrounds, libraries and museums, shelters, bars and restaurants serving alcohol, cannabis dispensaries, entertainment facilities, casinos, energy plants, airports and public transportation hubs, health care facilities, addiction/mental-health facilities, and film locations -- including their buildings, grounds and parking areas (with locked-vehicle/lockbox parking-lot exceptions for permit holders, subsec. c.); the private-property default (subsec. a.(24): carry banned without express owner consent or a carry-permitting sign) is unconstitutional as applied to private property open to the public after Wolford v. Lopez (U.S., June 25, 2026, invalidating Hawaii's identical rule 6-3) and was already preliminarily enjoined in Koons v. Platkin, so on public-facing premises ordinary trespass rules apply while the default stands for residences and non-public property; several other categories (e.g., bars/restaurants, entertainment venues) have also been under injunction in the Koons litigation -- verify current enforcement status before relying on the full statutory list.

PROHIBITED PLACES - 25 'SENSITIVE PLACES' (2022 LAW, PARTLY ENJOINED)
New Jersey

New Jersey (N.J.S. 2C:58-4.6, L.2022 c.131): carrying even with a permit is a third-degree crime in 25 listed 'sensitive places' -- government buildings and police stations, courthouses, correctional facilities, polling places and ballot-tabulation sites, permitted public gatherings (within 100 feet), schools/colleges/school buses, child care and summer camps, designated gun-free government parks/beaches/playgrounds, libraries and museums, shelters, bars and restaurants serving alcohol, cannabis dispensaries, entertainment facilities, casinos, energy plants, airports and public transportation hubs, health care facilities, addiction/mental-health facilities, and film locations -- including their buildings, grounds and parking areas (with locked-vehicle/lockbox parking-lot exceptions for permit holders, subsec. c.); the private-property default (subsec. a.(24): carry banned without express owner consent or a carry-permitting sign) is unconstitutional as applied to private property open to the public after Wolford v. Lopez (U.S., June 25, 2026, invalidating Hawaii's identical rule 6-3) and was already preliminarily enjoined in Koons v. Platkin, so on public-facing premises ordinary trespass rules apply while the default stands for residences and non-public property; several other categories (e.g., bars/restaurants, entertainment venues) have also been under injunction in the Koons litigation -- verify current enforcement status before relying on the full statutory list.

Authority: N.J.S. 2C:58-4.6 (L.2022 c.131 s.7); Wolford v. Lopez, U.S. Sup. Ct., June 25, 2026; Koons v. Platkin litigation.

Duty to Retreat - Castle Doctrine Only

New Jersey: Castle Doctrine applies (home defense). In public, you may have a duty to retreat if safe before using force.

DUTY TO RETREAT - CASTLE DOCTRINE ONLY
New Jersey

New Jersey: Castle Doctrine applies (home defense). In public, you may have a duty to retreat if safe before using force.

Authority: N.J.S.A. 2C:3-4(b)(2)(b) (statutory duty to retreat, knowledge-conditioned) and 2C:3-4(b)(2)(b)(i) (dwelling exception), quoted verbatim in State v. Bragg (N.J. May 6, 2025).

Red Flag Law - ERPO in Effect

New Jersey: An Extreme Risk Protection Order (red flag) law is in effect (N.J.S.A. 2C:58-20 et seq., Extreme Risk Protective Order Act of 2018).

RED FLAG / EXTREME RISK LAW
New Jersey

New Jersey: An Extreme Risk Protection Order (red flag) law is in effect (N.J.S.A. 2C:58-20 et seq., Extreme Risk Protective Order Act of 2018).

Authority: N.J.S.A. 2C:58-20 et seq., Extreme Risk Protective Order Act of 2018 (P.L.2018, c.35); 2C:58-21 definitions verified - petitioner is 'a family or household member or law enforcement officer' only.

Vehicle Transport - Strict Rules; Permit Holders Must Disclose to Police Immediately

New Jersey: A carry-permit holder stopped or detained by police while carrying or traveling with a handgun in a vehicle MUST immediately disclose the handgun and display the permit - failure to disclose is a fourth-degree crime (N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4.4(b)); without a permit, handguns must be transported unloaded in a closed, securely fastened case or locked unloaded in the trunk (N.J.S.A. 2C:39-6(g)).

TRANSPORTING FIREARMS IN NEW JERSEY

New Jersey transport rules are strict.

WITHOUT A CARRY PERMIT
A firearm transported under a statutory exemption (between home, place of purchase, repair shop, target range, or hunting with a valid license) must be UNLOADED and contained in a closed and fastened case, gunbox, or securely tied package, or locked in the trunk, with only reasonably necessary travel deviations (N.J.S. 2C:39-6(f)-(g)).

WITH A CARRY PERMIT
Under the 2022 carry law, even a person with a valid New Jersey permit to carry may not have a handgun in a vehicle unless it is unloaded and in a closed, securely fastened case or gunbox, or locked unloaded in the trunk; leaving a handgun unattended in a parked vehicle is similarly restricted. Violation is a fourth-degree crime (N.J.S. 2C:58-4.6(b), P.L.2022, c.131). A federal court preliminarily enjoined enforcement of this vehicle provision (Koons v. Platkin), and its current enforceability depends on ongoing litigation - do not rely on loaded vehicle carry being lawful in New Jersey.

INTERSTATE TRAVELERS
Federal law (18 U.S.C. section 926A) protects transport through New Jersey if the firearm is unloaded, not readily accessible from the passenger compartment, ammunition is not readily accessible, and possession is lawful at both origin and destination. FOPA does not cover stops beyond those reasonably necessary.

Default No-Carry on Private Property Not Open to the Public

New Jersey: under the 2022 sensitive-places law, carrying on private property NOT held open to the public without the owner's consent is a crime by default (N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4.6(a)(24)) — currently enforceable per the NJ State Police; the same default as applied to private property held OPEN to the public is not enforceable under court order (litigation ongoing, per NJSP FAQ rulings of 09/10/2025 and vacatur of 12/11/2025), where trespass-after-notice applies instead.

"NO FIREARMS" SIGN LAW
NEW JERSEY

New Jersey: under the 2022 sensitive-places law, carrying on private property NOT held open to the public without the owner's consent is a crime by default (N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4.6(a)(24)) — currently enforceable per the NJ State Police; the same default as applied to private property held OPEN to the public is not enforceable under court order (litigation ongoing, per NJSP FAQ rulings of 09/10/2025 and vacatur of 12/11/2025), where trespass-after-notice applies instead.

Authority: N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4.6(a)(24) (sensitive-places law, default ban on private property) as construed in the Koons/Siegel litigation; NJ State Police official FAQ (status as of 12/11/2025).

Duty to Inform - Must Proactively Disclose When Stopped

New Jersey: A carry-permit holder who is stopped or detained by police while carrying a handgun (or with a handgun in the vehicle) must IMMEDIATELY disclose the handgun and display the carry permit (N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4.4(b)); failure to disclose is a fourth-degree crime, failure to display the permit is a disorderly persons offense (first offense).

DUTY TO INFORM LAW ENFORCEMENT
NEW JERSEY

New Jersey: A carry-permit holder who is stopped or detained by police while carrying a handgun (or with a handgun in the vehicle) must IMMEDIATELY disclose the handgun and display the carry permit (N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4.4(b)); failure to disclose is a fourth-degree crime, failure to display the permit is a disorderly persons offense (first offense).

Authority: N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4.4(b) (enacted by P.L. 2022, c.131, sec. 5).