I stumbled upon this thread and will add my observations and understanding of the gun laws in my state of New Jersey. As many of you are aware, New Jersey has some of the most stringent and, not necessarily well thought out gun laws. One good example is the requirements for transporting guns within the state of NJ, (as opposed to out-of-staters traveling through NJ with firearms). NJ gun law essentially is interpreted by many attorneys to mean that when transporting a firearm you must legally do all of the following:
- Unloaded: The firearm must be unloaded, as in there must be no ammunition in the gun. NJ defines the word firearm meaning the actual gun, under current law, transportation of a loaded magazine would not be considered a loaded gun, but must not be in the gun.
- Cased/Wrapped: If the vehicle has a defined trunk separate from the passenger compartment, the firearms are to put in the trunk. If no trunk is present, as in a SUV, the firearm must be in a fastened case/wrapped/etc. and located in the far back of the vehicle. Any ammunition must be is a separate container.
- Destination: It is important to recognize that NJ dictates that your course of travel while transporting firearms should be as direct as possible, from your home to your gun club or range, without any stops in between, (i.e. getting something to eat at a fast-food restaurant, performing other errands, etc.)
Firearms ID Card: While not specifically addressed in the statutes, that I am aware of, I make sure that I have my NJ-issued Firearms ID card in my wallet when I am traveling to and from the range to practice. I take it a step further, and while not required, I have put a photocopy of each of my Pistol Purchase Permits with each of my pistols in their respective gun rugs that are in my range bag, just in case if I ever need to prove to a LEO that they are legally mine.
Firearms owned by NJ residents must be either originally or made: "NJ compliant". Under NJ law, possession of firearms is restricted to certain exemptions, and if you're within those exemptions there is nothing for the police to verify with regards to whether or not the firearm belongs to you or not. But much is left to the discretion of the particular LEO who may have stopped you for some other moving violation (i.e. speeding) or other type of infraction (i.e. burned out tail lamp, etc.)
To be clear, if I am ever stopped by a LEO while on my way to the range with guns in the back of my vehicle, I would NOT volunteer this information to him and would only reveal that fact if they directly ask me if I have firearms in my vehicle. There is absolutely nothing to be gained by volunteering this information if it is not solicited by the LEO and can only open up a potentially "Pandora's Box" of legal pitfalls.
People sometimes get in trouble because they are illegally possessing a firearm that is lawfully theirs, (for example: keeping a loaded handgun in their car without a carry license). The issue for a LEO to figure out when he stops you, (if they even care in the first place), is how and to where it's being transported, not if it's stolen or not - again unless they have a reasonable suspicion to think you are involved in some sort of other criminal activity. So my precautions are probably over the top, but I would rather follow them and be ready for various LEO's interpretation of the law and have some peace of mind.
AVB-AMG