Highlights:
- Private gun sales have to go through FFLs in New Jersey.
- Private gun sales have to get buyer background checks in New Jersey.
- Exceptions to the background check rule in New Jersey include sales between immediate family members and law enforcement officers
- Handgun purchase permits and FPICs are required to buy guns in New Jersey.
- Cash for Arms makes selling both handguns and long guns easy for a lot of New Jersey private sellers.
Step 1: Learn New Jersey’s Private Gun Sale Rules
Private Gun Sales in New Jersey Must Be Processed by FFLs
Private sellers need to have Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs or federally licensed dealers) process their gun sales in New Jersey.
This means that you as a private or unlicensed seller can sell guns to other private parties in the state. However, you can only do it legally by asking an FFL to do the background check and transfer.
There are some exceptions where you don’t need an FFL for a private gun sale, however. Here they are:
- Gun sales between law enforcement officers
- Gun sales between licensed firearm collectors
- Gun sales between immediate family members related by blood or law in these ways:
- Spouse
- Domestic partner
- Partner in a civil union couple
- Parent
- Step-parent
- Grandparent
- Sibling
- Step-sibling
- Child
- Step-child
- Grandchild
Private Gun Sales in New Jersey Require Background Checks
Nearly all private gun sales in New Jersey require background checks on buyers.
This is because with a few exceptions, all of them must be processed by FFLs. FFLs have to run background checks on all gun buyers due to federal law.
New Jersey is a full point-of-contact or POC state for background checks, by the way. This means that FFLs initiate checks by reaching out to the New Jersey State Police. In non-POC states, they have to get in touch with the FBI instead.
Handgun Buyers in New Jersey Need a Purchase Permit
People can’t buy handguns in New Jersey unless they have a permit to purchase a handgun. These permits can be acquired from local law enforcement or the New Jersey State Police.
Take note that these permits expire, so you have to check if your buyer’s permit is still valid. Each permit is also only usable for one handgun purchase.
Long Gun Buyers in New Jersey Need an FPIC
People can’t buy long guns like rifles or shotguns in New Jersey without an FPIC. This is a Firearms Purchaser Identification Card acquired from local law enforcement. It can also be issued by the New Jersey State Police.
An FPIC can be used for unlimited long gun purchases. It also remains valid for as long as the owner doesn’t lose the right to possess guns.
Handgun Buyers in New Jersey Must Be at Least 21
To buy a handgun in New Jersey, a buyer must be at least 21.
Long Gun Buyers in New Jersey Must Be at Least 18
To buy a long gun in New Jersey, a buyer must be at least 18.
New Jersey Only Has a Bulk Purchase Limit for Handgun Sales
In New Jersey, you can’t sell more than one handgun to the same buyer in a 30-day period. Buyers also can’t buy more than one handgun (from any seller) in a 30-day period.
There’s no limit on bulk long gun purchases in the state, though.
New Jersey Only Has a Waiting Period for Handgun Sales
There’s no waiting period for long gun sales in New Jersey. Handgun sales require a waiting period of at least 7 days, however.
This is because the state says the earliest dealers can give handguns to buyers is 7 days after the handgun purchase permit application.
Handgun buyers usually apply on the day of the sale. What’s more, each permit is for only one purchase. So, each handgun sale ends up with at least a 7-day wait before gun delivery.
It can be much longer than 7 days, though. This is because just getting the permit can sometimes take as long as 30 days.
Pawn Shops Don’t Buy Guns in New Jersey
While pawnbrokers may be gun dealers in some other states, they can’t be in New Jersey. State law (N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2C:39-11a) doesn’t allow pawnbrokers to sell guns here.
Since dealers only buy used guns to resell them, this makes buying guns worthless for pawn shops in New Jersey.
New Jersey Doesn’t Allow Gun Sales at Gun Shows
You can’t sell guns at gun shows in New Jersey for two reasons:
- All gun sales have to go through FFLs or licensed dealers.
- Gun dealers aren’t allowed to do retail business in a mobile or temporary facility.
The definition of “temporary facility” in the law (N.J. Admin. Code § 13:54-3.4) includes gun shows as an example.
Step 2: Learn Your Gun’s Current Value
You have to know what your gun can get in the current market. Otherwise, you may end up losing money on the deal from a low-ball offer.
There are a few ways you can find out what your gun is worth. Broadly speaking, you can find its value by researching it yourself or by having professionals do an appraisal.
Here are the steps for researching it by yourself:
- Come up with a clear list of its details or specifications.
- Use those details to search for similar guns being sold online at places like GunBroker.
- Get the average sale or going price for those guns.
The problem with the method above is that it can’t always account for things that affect price. Your gun’s condition can differ from that of the guns you’re looking at, for example.
For a more considered value estimate, try getting the gun assessed. If you want to sell it to a dealer, this is actually part of the process.
Here are the steps for getting it appraised by a local expert:
- Unload the gun.
- Give it a thorough cleaning.
- Put the still-unloaded gun in a safe, lockable container.
- Bring it to a local gun dealer and ask for a value assessment.
Or, if you’d rather do this from home, let us appraise it via our website. It’s free!
Step 3: Sell Your Gun to the Buyer of Your Choice
Buyer 1: Cash for Arms
Cash for Arms offers one of the simpler ways to sell guns in New Jersey. A sales process you can do from home with no background check is allied to top market prices. Shipping and sales fees are even paid by the buyer.
To sell your gun to Cash for Arms in New Jersey:
- Give us its details through our website.
- Take the offer we’ll send you after around an hour.
- Send us the gun with our prepaid shipping labels.
- Get paid through your preferred payment method.
Buyer 2: New Jersey Gun Stores
New Jersey gun stores will pay you on the spot for a used gun they want and also let you skip the trouble of buyer background checks. They won’t pay a lot and you may have to haggle hard to get a decent price, though.
To sell to a local gun store, do this:
- Call the local gun stores and ask if any want to buy your used gun.
- Take your unloaded gun to the stores that want to buy it.
- Have the clerks at each store appraise the gun and make offers.
- Get as many offers as possible, then sell to the best one.
Buyer 3: Private Parties in New Jersey
Private parties can be willing to pay the highest prices for used guns. However, they’re not exactly easy to find… especially in a state with as many restrictions as this one.
Still, if you’re willing to brave the trouble in exchange for a chance at more money, do this:
- Advertise your gun for sale:
- Put flyers up on local range posting boards
- Put it on the New Jersey buy-and-sell pages on social platforms like MeWe
- Put it in the classifieds of New Jersey online forums like NJ Woods and Water
- Wait for offers to come in.
- Screen your buyers to make sure they’re of age and eligible (we’ll give you a list of what to look out for after this).
- Negotiate until you get the price and terms you want from the best buyer.
- Meet the buyer at an FFL’s store to carry out the required background check and sale.
We said above that you have to make sure your buyer is eligible to buy guns in the state. Check the list below. If any of these is true of them, they’re not allowed guns in New Jersey:
- Committed for a mental disorder (unless possessing a certificate from a New Jersey doctor or psychiatrist stating he no longer suffers from the disorder)
- Adjudicated mentally incompetent by a court
- Convicted of unlawful use, possession, or sale of a dangerous controlled substance
- Illegally using or addicted to a controlled substance
- Convicted of a felony
- Convicted of disorderly persons offense of domestic violence
- Convicted of some misdemeanors of domestic violence
- Discharged dishonorably from the US Armed Forces
- Subject to certain domestic violence court orders (like restraining orders)
- Subject to an ex parte order that prohibits the possession of guns
- Subject to an order of protection concerning a judicial officer
- Has renounced US citizenship
- Is in the US illegally
- Is a fugitive from justice