Guns and Hunting
This State Has Some of the Strictest Gun Control Laws in the Country
Published:
24/7 Wall St. Insights
Americans have had a constitutional right to own firearms for more than two centuries. While the federal government imposes restrictions on gun ownership for certain groups — including felons, illegal drug users, and fugitives — and effectively prohibits civilian ownership of specific types of firearms — such as fully automatic weapons and short-barreled shotguns — America has some of the most permissive gun laws in the world.
However, mass shootings and rising rates of gun violence in recent years have made gun control one of the most polarizing issues in American politics — and attitudes towards firearms are closely aligned with party affiliation. According to a 2023 Gallup survey, 84% of likely Democratic voters say that gun laws should be stricter, compared to only 31% of likely Republican voters.
In Washington D.C., the partisan divide over gun policy has resulted in little beyond political gridlock. In the absence of legislative action at the federal level, many states have exercised their authority to expand upon existing gun control policies. Others, meanwhile, have adopted a hands-off approach.
According to the analysis of Giffords Law Center, a gun violence prevention group, New Jersey has implemented some of the strongest state-level firearm regulations in the country. Accounting for a wide-range of policies at the disposal of state governments — including assault-style weapon and high-capacity magazine bans, universal background check laws, waiting periods, and permit requirements for firearms in public — Gifford’s Law Center assigned New Jersey a letter grade of “A”, on an A-F scale, for the strength of its gun control policies. (Here is a look at every state’s gun law grade.)
Firearm regulations are generally designed and implemented to reduce the likelihood of gun violence, and in states with strict gun control laws, firearm fatality rates tend to be relatively low. According to the data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 468 firearm related deaths in New Jersey in 2022, or about 5.0 for every 100,000 people, the fourth lowest gun-death rate of the 50 states. (Here is a look at the U.S. cities where gun crime is surging.)
Using data compiled by Gifford’s Law Center, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed New Jersey”s approach to 14 key gun control policy areas. It is important to note that the laws on this list are not exhaustive, and only represent broad guidelines. Legal nuances can also vary at the local level.
With the exception of some modest revisions to background check protocols, the U.S. has not implemented any meaningful gun control reform in decades. Still, state governments also have the authority to enact their own policies, resulting in a patchwork of gun laws across the 50 states. Currently, New Jersey ranks as having some of the strongest state-level firearm regulations in the country.
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