New Jersey

New Jersey's post-Bruen carry-permit law (P.L. 2022, c. 131, effective Dec 22, 2022) explicitly amended N.J. Stat. Ann. §2C:58-4 so that a Permit to Carry a Handgun does NOT authorize open carry — a civilian permit holder must carry concealed everywhere except their own home/property. Open carry of a handgun is not authorized for civilians under any circumstance in public.

N.J. Stat. §2C:58-4.6's list of prohibited locations for a carry permit does not name churches or places of worship specifically; carry is a property-owner decision under NJ's general private-property framework (this list has been the subject of post-Bruen litigation over other locations, but places of worship were not a named 'sensitive place' as of the version reviewed).

N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4.6 (P.L. 2022, c. 131) makes it a third-degree crime to carry in "a bar or restaurant where alcohol is served, or any other site or facility where alcohol is sold for consumption on the premises... regardless of whether the carrier consumes alcohol," with only narrow law-enforcement/authorized-security exceptions — no restaurant carve-out at all. This provision has been challenged in Koons v. Platkin, and I could not confirm with confidence whether a preliminary injunction against enforcement is currently in effect on appeal — verify current enforcement status before relying on this being air-tight.

New Jersey's post-Bruen carry-permit law (N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4.6) lists an extensive set of 'sensitive places,' including public beaches, where carry is barred even for permit holders — relevant because many NJ boat launches sit on or adjacent to public beaches. The full scope of this list is under active litigation: the Third Circuit's earlier panel decision was vacated when the full court granted en banc rehearing (Dec. 2025), so which restrictions are currently enforceable is genuinely unsettled as of this research. Open water away from a listed sensitive place appears unrestricted for a valid NJ permit holder, but I can't give a clean statewide yes given the beach carve-out and the live litigation.

New Jersey's 2022 carry law (P.L. 2022, c.131, enacted in response to Bruen) makes it a third-degree crime for even a permit holder to carry a handgun into a government building or a courthouse, among numerous other listed 'sensitive places.' Government buildings/courthouses are viewed as among the least likely parts of that law to be struck down in the ongoing Koons v. Platkin litigation over New Jersey's broader sensitive-places list, since Bruen itself treated them as classic, longstanding examples of permissible restrictions.

N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2C:39-5(e)(1) prohibits possessing a firearm on the buildings or grounds of any school, college, university, or other educational institution without written authorization of the governing officer — applies regardless of permit status and to public and private schools alike.

N.J.S. 2C:58-4(a)(24) (enacted as § 7 of P.L. 2022, c.131) makes private property presumptively OFF LIMITS to carry unless the owner has given express consent or posted a sign allowing it — the same 'opt-in' model the Supreme Court struck down for Hawaii. That specific provision has been under a preliminary injunction (not enforced) since the original 2023 district court ruling in Koons v. Platkin/Davenport, preserved through the Third Circuit's 2023 stay. Following Wolford v. Lopez (6/25/2026), the Koons plaintiffs argued to the en banc Third Circuit (which had already vacated a prior panel decision and heard argument 2/11/2026, with supplemental briefing completed 7/8/2026) that the New Jersey statute cannot survive — but no en banc ruling had issued as of early September 2026. Practically, the ban is currently NOT being enforced (so carry is allowed absent a sign), but the underlying law is technically still on the books and the litigation is unresolved.

New Jersey's 2022 firearms law (P.L. 2022, c.131, enacted in response to Bruen) makes private property presumptively off-limits to carry absent the OWNER'S AFFIRMATIVE CONSENT — an opt-in/'no' rule on its face. However, this specific provision was preliminarily ENJOINED by the U.S. District Court in Koons v. Platkin (D.N.J., May 16, 2023), and — per current reporting — that injunction against the private-property-consent requirement remains one of the (now three) provisions still on hold as of 2026, even after the Third Circuit vacated its panel opinion in Dec. 2025 for en banc rehearing (argued 2026, case now captioned Koons v. Davenport). Practically, NJ is NOT currently enforcing the consent-required rule, meaning the answer genuinely depends on the state of ongoing litigation and could flip if the injunction is lifted.

N.J.S. 2C:58-4.6(a)(20) — read directly from the official enrolled bill text of P.L. 2022, c.131 on the New Jersey Legislature's site — explicitly lists 'an airport or public transportation hub' as a sensitive place where carrying a handgun is a crime, with no secure/non-secure distinction, meaning the statute as written bans the whole airport. However, this list has been the subject of major, ongoing federal litigation (Koons v. Platkin and related cases) with a complicated history of injunctions, stays, and a Third Circuit panel decision that was later vacated; a secondary summary I checked (usacarry.com, dated July 2026) states New Jersey carry law is 'genuinely unsettled' with the currently enforceable rules governed by a district court preliminary injunction rather than the full statutory list. I could not determine the live, currently-enjoined-or-not status of the airport provision specifically as of the research date, so this is a genuine 'depends on the current litigation posture' answer — travelers should not assume either the statute or an injunction controls without checking current case status.

New Jersey requires a Permit to Carry a Handgun to have one in a vehicle. Without a recognized permit, a handgun must be UNLOADED and in a closed/fastened case, gun box, tied package, or locked in the trunk, AND the trip must fall within a short list of enumerated purposes (home-to-business, to/from a range, hunting/fishing with a valid license, to/from an authorized exhibition, dealer repair, etc.) — merely driving through New Jersey is not itself one of the listed exceptions, which has historically been a well-documented trap for interstate travelers.

N.J. Stat. Ann. §2C:58-4.6 (from NJ's Dec. 2022 post-Bruen carry law) bars carrying at 'a health care facility, including but not limited to a general hospital, psychiatric hospital, diagnostic center, treatment center, ... outpatient clinic, dispensary, ... medical office, or ambulatory care facility,' plus licensed mental-health/addiction treatment facilities. Explicitly covers hospitals and small medical/doctor's offices alike, with no public/private distinction.

New Jersey requires a carry permit. I obtained and read the actual 2022 reform law (P.L.2022, c.131) in full: the 25-category 'sensitive places' list at new N.J.S.2C:39-5(e)/C.2C:58-4.6 (government buildings, courts, schools, parks/rec facilities designated gun-free, health care, bars, transit hubs, casinos, private property without consent, etc.) does not include highway rest areas or rest stops. The same law also expressly protects a permit holder traveling on 'a public right-of-way that touches or crosses' a prohibited place, provided the handgun stays on their person or properly secured in the vehicle. This is a strong, directly verified 'yes.'

N.J.S. 2C:58-4.4(b) (L.2022 c.131 s.5, eff. July 1, 2023): a carry permit holder "if stopped or detained by a law enforcement officer while carrying a handgun in public or traveling with a handgun in a motor vehicle, shall: (1) immediately disclose to the law enforcement officer that they are carrying a handgun or that a handgun is stored in the vehicle; and (2) display the permit." Proactive, triggered by the stop itself.

New Jersey State Police publish dedicated "Concealed Carry Permit Instructions for Out-of-State Residents" and process out-of-state applications through the same online FARS/Concealed Carry portal used by residents (an in-state fingerprinting step is required before the CCW application can be filed).

N.J. Stat. §2C:39-5e(1) bans knowing possession of any firearm on school buildings/grounds 'irrespective of whether the possessor has a valid permit to carry the firearm or a valid Firearms Purchaser Identification Card' — the statute expressly rules out a permit-based exception. One of the clearest 'no' cases nationally.

New Jersey's 2022 carry law (following S3214/A4769) set a default that private property is off-limits to carry unless the owner affirmatively permits it — but this default rule has been the subject of extensive, actively evolving federal litigation (including cases referred to as Koons v. Reynolds and Siegel v. Platkin in the Third Circuit). A summary I fetched claimed this was 'ruled unconstitutional... in Wolford v. Lopez,' but that case is a Ninth Circuit decision about Hawaii and California, not New Jersey or the Third Circuit — that claim appears to be inaccurate/conflated, so I am disregarding it rather than repeating it. Given the genuinely unsettled, fast-moving litigation status and my inability to pin down the current (September 2026) enforcement posture, this is marked unclear rather than guessed.

New Jersey has no codified statewide firearm-preemption statute comparable to most other states. Preemption is instead established through court precedent finding that "the state legislature generally preempts the field of firearms law" — meaning the practical answer depends on case law rather than a clean statutory rule, and the scope of what is/isn't preempted is less explicit than in NRA-model preemption states.

N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4.6(a)(5), added by L.2022 c.131 s.7 (effective Dec. 22, 2022), makes it a third-degree crime to carry a firearm at 'a location being used as a polling place during the conduct of an election and places used for the storage or tabulation of ballots.' Confirmed against the official NJ State Police prohibited-places guidance document; exceptions exist only for authorized armed security/armored-car personnel with written authorization, not general CCW permit holders.

10-round limit (N.J. Stat. Ann. §§ 2C:39-1(y), 2C:39-3j, 2C:39-9h). The Third Circuit sitting en banc struck down NJ's magazine ban (and its 'assault firearm' ban) as unconstitutional on July 17, 2026 (Ass'n of NJ Rifle & Pistol Clubs v. Platkin, 10-5), but stayed its own mandate on Aug. 4, 2026, just before the ruling's effective date — so the ban remains enforced while New Jersey petitions the Supreme Court (cert. petition due ~Oct. 15, 2026, possibly extended to mid-Dec.).

Extreme Risk Protective Order Act, N.J.S.A. 2C:58-20 et seq. (2019). Family members (broadly defined — spouses/partners, co-parents, household members, dating partners) and law enforcement may file directly with the court; other concerned persons must ask law enforcement to file on their behalf.

New Jersey bans the core NFA categories for ordinary civilians regardless of federal ATF Form 4 approval. Suppressors: N.J.S.A. 2C:39-3(a)-(c) makes possession a 4th-degree crime (5-10 year mandatory minimum under the Graves Act); only military, National Guard, law enforcement, and a narrow Fish & Wildlife deer-depredation permit holder may possess one. Short-barreled rifles/shotguns: same prohibition/exception structure, likewise off-limits to ordinary civilians. Machine guns: N.J.S.A. 2C:58-5 allows a machine gun permit issued by a county Superior Court judge, but such permits are extremely difficult to obtain and rarely if ever granted to individual private citizens. The suppressor ban is being challenged post-Bruen in Padua v. Platkin (filed July 2025), but the statute remains in force.

Castle Doctrine state: N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2C:3-4(b)(2)(b) — duty to retreat with complete safety before deadly force, except no duty inside the actor's own dwelling (not the initial aggressor), with a limited workplace exception. No duty at home; duty in public.

N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2C:58-3. New Jersey's longstanding Firearms Purchaser ID Card / permit-to-purchase system requires a background-checked permit or ID card before essentially any acquisition of a firearm, including in a private sale.