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New Jersey has a May-issue policy for concealed carry permits. The law enforcement agency at the municipality level is in charge of the application.

Since the state issue non-resident permits too, the application will be made at the state police department.

After you have met all requirements, the law enforcement still reviews your application, and they have the right to accept or reject based on discretion.

Upon accepting the application, the final stage is presenting it at your county court for rejection or approval.

New Jersey Gun Laws

You need a Permit to Carry Handgun (PCH) before you are allowed to conceal carry in New Jersey. PCH serves as the state CCW permit.

However, you must prove that you are in dire need of a CCW, or your life is in danger before your New Jersey concealed carry permit application is accepted.

Both residents and non-residents of the state can apply for a permit, but you must be more than twenty-one years old to do so.

New Jersey CCW Reciprocity

New Jersey does not honor CCW permits from any other state in the country. So if you intend to conceal carry in the state, you must get either a resident or non-resident license.

Other aspects of New Jersey reciprocity include the following:

  • States that will accept a New Jersey issued CCW permit: You can conceal carry in these states with a New Jersey CCW permit. There are twelve of them.
  • State that has restricted reciprocity with New Jersey: This state, Michigan, will only honor a New Jersey CCW permit for residents. Hence, you cannot conceal a non-resident license issued by New Jersey.
  • States that have a permitless policy with New Jersey: You can conceal carry in these states without an issued permit. However, you must meet the requirements to possess a firearm as per the states’ law. Note that these requirements differ from state to state. There are fourteen of them.
  • States that reciprocate New Jersey CCW permits still have their gun laws that you must adhere to at all times. Make sure that you always keep to this.

Also, you must research concealed carry laws for the states you want to visit, and do not assume that such states will have similar gun laws to New Jersey.

States laws that you should be familiar with include location restrictions, age requirements, and dealing with firearms.

New Jersey Location Restriction

Except you are a peace officer, or a law enforcement officer, some places under restrictions by the gun laws in New Jersey. This means that you cannot conceal carry in these places.

If found guilty, you will get a misdemeanor charge.

Places Where You Can’t Conceal Carry In New Jersey

  • You cannot conceal carry in schools, and this includes colleges, technical institutions, and universities.
  • You cannot conceal carry in a game house or casino.
  • You cannot conceal carry in state parks.
  • You cannot conceal carry in places like the statue cruises ferry in Ellis Island and Liberty Island. This includes the Statue of Liberty monument.
  • You cannot conceal carry in buildings or private properties that have a post prohibiting the possession of firearms.
  • You cannot conceal carry in courthouses and during court proceedings.
  • You cannot conceal carry in places that are restricted by gun laws in the state.

Places Where You Can Conceal Carry In New Jersey

New Jersey gun laws do not restrict you from the possession of firearms in these places.

  • Restaurants and bars: You can conceal carry in restaurants and bars that serve alcohol as long as no post restricts the possession of firearms.
  • Private cars: You can conceal carry in a vehicle with a New Jersey CCW permit with you.
  • Along roadsides: You can conceal carry along roadsides and in recreational areas.
  • States and national forests: You can conceal carry in states and federally owned forests as well as wildlife management areas.
  • Home of residence and privately owned properties: You can conceal carry in your dwelling place or a property you own.
  • Places of worship: You can conceal carry in places of worship as long as there is no post prohibiting the use of firearms in these places since places of worship are privately owned properties too.

Conceal Carry For Law Enforcement Officers

The United States Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act permits officers of the law to conceal carry within jurisdictions of the country, without location restrictions or limitations by states or local laws.

This law covers active, out of service and retired officers.

New Jersey has its adoption of this LEOSA law, and it comprises of the following:

  • The New Jersey State Police superintendent administers qualifications to the retired officers for initial training, renewal training, and shooting range certification.
  • New Jersey gun law is in charge of giving retired officers the right to conceal carry in the state, and officers must qualify for the possession of each firearm they possess, and firearm training is done twice a year.
  • Firearms in possession of licensed retired officers must be registered accordingly at the state level.
  • Only retired officers that meet these standards are allowed to conceal carry in the state without location restrictions.

Buying And Selling Of Firearm In New Jersey

Before you can deal with firearms in New Jersey, you must meet all the requirements to do so.

You need to be familiar with gun laws in the state that has to with buying, selling, transporting, and transferring firearms in New Jersey.

Purchasing Permits In New Jersey

To buy a firearm in New Jersey, you must obtain a purchasing permit. This permit is valid for ninety days, and you can use it to complete the purchase of firearms within that period.

However, you cannot buy more than one firearm after thirty days.

You can also apply for a lifetime purchasing permit identification card, which you can use for buying rifles, shotguns, and various ammunitions.

New Jersey issues purchase permits to both residents and non-residents.

Background Checks For Firearms

Together with the permit to purchase, you must also have your criminal record background checked when buying from a state or federally licensed seller.

An exception is the transfer of a firearm to an heir, after the death of a legitimate owner.

In a situation where the heir does not meet the age requirement to possess a firearm, he or she can keep possession of the gun for six months before selling it.

This period may vary due to local and municipality laws, based on the approval of the officer in charge of the county law enforcement agency.

Note that a New Jersey CCW permit does not exempt you from both the purchase permits and the background checks.

Waiting Period For CCW Permit In New Jersey

After applying for your purchase permit, you must wait for one week before using it for your initial gun purchase.

The processing period for the purchase permit is thirty days for residents and forty-five days for non-residents.

Firearms Registration In New Jersey

You are mandated to register your firearm upon completing the purchase.

The State police firearm unit keeps records. However, registration is only compulsory for firearms purchased in New Jersey.

For firearms that are purchased legally in other states, and the owner wants to use it in New Jersey, there is no obligation whatsoever to register them.

However, if you choose to register the firearms voluntarily, complete the form for voluntary gun registration in New Jersey.

Age Requirement For Dealing With Firearm In New Jersey

Before you can buy, transport, or transfer a firearm in New Jersey, you must meet the minimum age requirement of twenty-one.

Applying For Firearms Purchase Permit In New Jersey

The firearm purchaser identification card serves as the purchase permit in New Jersey, and you must have this before you can buy a firearm within the state.

The application for the purchase permit is at the New Jersey State Police.

You can complete and submit the form at the police office closest to your home of residence, or at a State department level that oversees all New Jersey jurisdiction.

There is also an online application via the firearms registration system. To do this, first, contact your local police officer and get an Originating Agency Identifier number.

Other documents you will need to complete this application are:

  • A New Jersey driver’s license or an ID card issued by the state.
  • Two references that will attest to your good moral character and mental health.

Also, you have to give your consent for the criminal record background check, your mental health check, and the collection of your fingerprints.

After thirty days (forty-five for non-residents), the state will notify you of approval.

The permit expires ninety days after approval.

Castle Doctrine In New Jersey

New Jersey takes the castle doctrine law very seriously. The statue envisages on the amount of force to use for self-defense or self-protection.

Castle doctrine in New jersey encourages the use of a justified force for self-protection when you believe that such force is needed to keep yourself safe from an attack or unlawful act.

With this law, you have no duty to retreat from your home of residence or dwelling place if you are not the instigator of an attack.

However, note that the use of an excessive or lethal force can never be justified by the law, except it can be proven that such force was necessary to protect yourself from death or severe bodily harm.

Finally, if you are not in your home or dwelling place, you have to retreat in the face of an attack.

New Jersey CCW Permit Requirements

You must meet New Jersey concealed carry permit requirements before applying for a CCW permit.

Here are the requirements:

  • You must be at least twenty-one years old.
  • You must be of good moral character.
  • You must demonstrate your familiarity with the safe handling of firearms by completing a New Jersey concealed carry permit class.
  • You must not have any disability or deformity, stated under the state laws, that won’t let you get an identification card to purchase a firearm in New Jersey.
  • You must provide a good reason that justifies your need to carry a firearm.
  • You must provide three references that know you for at least three years.
  • You must meet all other federal law requirements to possess firearms.

How To Apply For New Jersey CCW Permit

Having met all stated requirements, you can now apply for a New Jersey CCW permit. The process involves the following:

Complete A Firearm Training

Make sure that you complete a New Jersey concealed carry permit course. You can also enroll for New Jersey concealed carry online class.

Download Application

Download your CCW permit application form from the online portal.

Provide References

Provide three references that have known you for at least three years.

Complete Application Forms

Complete three copies of your application forms and have all of them notarized.

Provide Passport Phonographs

You need to provide Four copies of your recently taken passport photograph.

Submit Other Documents.

Take the three copies of your application to a police station closest to your residential address.

  • The following documents should be submitted too.
  • Four copies of colored passport photographs.
  • A completed mental health consent form.
  • A written note with reasons why your New Jersey concealed carry permit application should be accepted.
  • Your firearms training certificate.

After this, have your fingerprints taken and pay the required fee.

Presenting Your CCW Permit To The Court

After the approval of your application, you must present it to your county’s superior court. 

For non-residents, you can show it to the court of any county where you want to conceal carry.

The court will now issue you a permit after it has reviewed the application and certify that you qualify to conceal carry

New Jersey Firearms Requirements

All applicants for New Jersey CCW permits must be able to demonstrate firearm familiarity and safe handling in the following ways:

  • Complete a New Jersey concealed carry permit course that is equivalent or almost equivalent to a training approved by the Police Training Commission.
  • Submit a firing test score for the firearm or handgun that you intend to carry, overseen by a certified firearm instructor from either the police academy, the National Rifle Association, or any other recognized body in New Jersey.
  • Pass a test about New Jersey gun law that has to do with using force, overseen by a certified firearm instructor from either the police academy, the National Rifle Association, or any other recognized body in New Jersey.

New Jersey Concealed Carry FAQs.

Here are some of the frequently asked questions about CCW in New Jersey.

How Long Is New Jersey CCW Permit For?

The permit is valid for two years, after which you can apply for a renewal.

How Much Does New Jersey CCW Application Cost?

Initial application and renewal application cost fifty dollars each

How Long Will It Take Me To Get My New Jersey CCW Permit?

The processing time for the CCW application is sixty days.

Additional Resources

New Jersey Gun Laws
New Jersey Open Carry Laws
New Jersey Gun Permit Laws

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