15 Places in New Jersey Where You Can’t Carry a Gun

Here are two statistics that stand out about New Jersey and guns.

New Jersey has some of the strictest gun laws in America. The Garden State has one of the lowest rates of firearm deaths and firearm ownership in the country.

Here's What is Required to Carry a Gun in New Jersey Legally

- A permit to carry a handgun is required to carry a concealed weapon or open carry a handgun in New Jersey.

- To apply for a permit, you must apply with your local police department or the New Jersey State Police.

- The application must be endorsed by at least four reputable people who have known you for at least three years.

- You must complete a firearms training course

- You must undergo a police interview that may include questions about recent arrests or other disqualifying factors. 

- You must show proof of liability insurance coverage of $300,000. 

New Jersey Gun Permits Have Gone Up Since 2022

According to NJ Spotlight News, until the middle of 2022, it was unlikely that you would encounter someone in New Jersey carrying a gun legally, outside of police officers.

The number of concealed-carry gun permits issued by NJ police has risen by nearly 5,000% since June 2022.

That’s when the U.S. Supreme Court decided the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen case, finding that the ability to carry a pistol in public is a constitutional right guaranteed by the Second Amendment.

After the ruling, 32,465 new permits were given by Feb. 2024.

Now, more than 33,000 New Jerseyans are allowed to carry a gun in most locations.

But a state law enacted after the Supreme Court ruling continues to ban carrying a gun in several “sensitive places” like parks and beaches, bars and restaurants, and medical facilities, though parts of the law are on hold while a legal challenge is pending in federal court.

New Jersey prohibits carrying a gun on private property where signs prohibiting firearms have been posted, and that includes casinos, restaurants, shopping malls, churches, synagogues, and other places of worship.

So it gets a little confusing where these gun owners can and can not legally carry a gun.

Here's a look at places where it is currently the law that you can't carry a gun in New Jersey.