The Supreme Court of the United States has interpreted this to mean that individuals have a right to own firearms. Currently, the State Constitution provides that the people of New Jersey have the right of enjoying and defending life and liberty, but does not explicitly include a right to firearm ownership.
The process begins with making application for a Firearms Purchaser Identification Card and along the way, requires you to submit to a background investigation by both state and federal agencies, supply references, be fingerprinted, and consent to a mental health records check.
Under federal law, people are generally prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms if they have been convicted of a felony or some domestic violence misdemeanors, or if they are subject to certain court orders related to domestic violence or a serious mental condition.
Been convicted of aggravated assault, arson, burglary, escape, extortion, homicide, kidnapping, robbery, sexual assault; bias intimidation or endangering the welfare of a child; or any weapons offense; or any domestic violence offense including crime such as harassment, stalking or criminal restraint.
The process begins with making application for a Firearms Purchaser Identification Card and along the way, requires you to submit to a background investigation by both state and federal agencies, supply references, be fingerprinted, and consent to a mental health records check.
If the purchaser is approved, a license or permit is issued to the applicant. Licenses are of varying duration and often do not limit the number of weapons a person can buy. In some states, permits are issued to the applicant for each specific weapon acquired.
A Governor's pardon has the power to restore both civil rights and firearm rights. On the other hand, a certificate of rehabilitation, which may be available in other states, does not have the same effect in New Jersey. In New Jersey, only a Governor's pardon can restore firearm rights.
Before you can expunge the record of a conviction, you must wait for a set period beginning when you complete your sentence. For a disorderly persons offense, also known as a misdemeanor, the waiting period is five years, and for an indictable offense, also known as a felony, it is 10 years.