Bill Text: NJ A3750 | 2012-2013 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes regulatory and reporting program for all ammunition sales.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-02-14 - Combined with A3645/3646/3666 (ACS) [A3750 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2012-A3750-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman JOSEPH CRYAN
District 20 (Union)
Assemblyman JASON O'DONNELL
District 31 (Hudson)
Assemblywoman ANNETTE QUIJANO
District 20 (Union)
Assemblyman CHARLES MAINOR
District 31 (Hudson)
Assemblyman JOHN F. MCKEON
District 27 (Essex and Morris)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes regulatory and reporting program for all ammunition sales.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning sales of ammunition, amending P.L.2007, c.318, and supplementing chapter 58 of Title 2C of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 1 of P.L.2007, c.318 (C.2C:58-3.3) is amended to read as follows:
1. a. As used in this act, "handgun ammunition" means ammunition specifically designed to be used only in a handgun. "Handgun ammunition" shall not include blank ammunition, air gun pellets, flare gun ammunition, nail gun ammunition, paint ball ammunition, or any non-fixed ammunition.
b. (1) No person shall sell, give, transfer, assign or otherwise dispose of, or receive, purchase, or otherwise acquire handgun ammunition unless the purchaser, assignee, donee, receiver or holder is licensed as a manufacturer, wholesaler, or dealer under this chapter or is the holder of and possesses a valid firearms purchaser identification card, a valid copy of a permit to purchase a handgun, or a valid permit to carry a handgun and first exhibits such card or permit to the seller, donor, transferor or assignor.
(2) Every person engaged in the retail business of selling or otherwise transferring handgun ammunition, as a retail dealer or otherwise, shall keep a record of all such sales and transfers. Until the provisions of paragraph (3) of this subsection become fully operational, the record shall be maintained as a register. The register shall be of a type and form prescribed by the superintendent and shall include the name, age, address, type of card or permit exhibited by the purchaser or transferee, the caliber and numerical amount of ammunition sold or transferred in the transaction, the date of the transaction, and such other information as the superintendent shall deem necessary for the proper enforcement of this section. The register shall be retained by the dealer and shall be made available at all reasonable hours for inspection by any law enforcement officer.
(3) Within 180 days of the effective date of this act, the superintendent shall develop a program for the electronic reporting by dealers, on a real-time basis, of all handgun ammunition sales and transfers, and the information relating to each such sale and transfer, as required under paragraph (2) of this subsection. The superintendent shall establish an electronic data base containing all such reported information, which shall be available to all law enforcement officers on a real-time basis. The superintendent shall establish security procedures to protect the confidentiality of the information contained in this data base, which shall preclude access to the information to any person not lawfully entitled to it. For the purposes of P.L.1963, c.73 (C.47:1A-1 et seq.), the information contained in the database established pursuant to this subsection shall not be deemed a government record.
c. No person shall sell, give, transfer, assign or otherwise dispose of handgun ammunition to a person who is under 21 years of age.
d. The provisions of this section shall not apply to a collector of firearms or ammunition as curios or relics who purchases, receives, acquires, possesses, or transfers handgun ammunition which is recognized as being historical in nature or of historical significance.
e. A person who violates this section shall be guilty of a crime of the fourth degree, except that nothing contained herein shall be construed to prohibit the sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of handgun ammunition to or the purchase, receipt or acceptance of ammunition by a law enforcement agency or law enforcement official for law enforcement purposes.
f. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the transfer of ammunition for use in a lawfully transferred firearm in accordance with the provisions of section 1 of P.L.1992, c.74 (C.2C:58-3.1), section 1 of P.L.1997, c.375 (C.2C:58-3.2) or section 14 of P.L.1979, c.179 (C.2C:58-6.1).
g. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the sale of a de minimis amount of handgun ammunition at a firearms range operated by a licensed dealer; a law enforcement agency; a legally recognized military organization; or a rifle or pistol club which has filed a copy of its charter with the superintendent for immediate use at that range.
(cf: P.L.2007, c.318, s.1)
2. (New section) a. As used in this section, "rifle ammunition" means ammunition specifically designed to be used in a rifle. "Shotgun ammunition" means ammunition specifically designed to be used in a shotgun. Blank ammunition, air gun pellets, flare gun ammunition, nail gun ammunition, paint ball ammunition, or any non-fixed ammunition shall not be construed to be rifle ammunition or shotgun ammunition for the purposes of this section.
b. (1) No person shall sell, give, transfer, assign or otherwise dispose of, or receive, purchase, or otherwise acquire rifle ammunition or shotgun ammunition unless the purchaser, assignee, donee, receiver or holder is licensed as a manufacturer, wholesaler, or dealer under this chapter or is the holder of and possesses a valid firearms purchaser identification card, a valid copy of a permit to purchase a handgun, a valid permit to carry a handgun, or valid New Jersey hunting license and first exhibits such card, permit, or license to the seller, donor, transferor or assignor.
(2) Every person engaged in the retail business of selling or otherwise transferring rifle ammunition or shotgun ammunition, as a retail dealer or otherwise, shall keep a record of all such sales and transfers. Until the provisions of paragraph (3) of this subsection become fully operational, the record shall be maintained as a register. The register shall be of a type and form prescribed by the superintendent and shall include the name, age, address, type of card or permit exhibited by the purchaser or transferee, the caliber or gauge and numerical amount of ammunition sold or transferred in the transaction, the date of the transaction, and such other information as the superintendent shall deem necessary for the proper enforcement of this section. The register shall be retained by the dealer and shall be made available at all reasonable hours for inspection by any law enforcement officer.
(3) Within 180 days of the effective date of this act, the superintendent shall develop a program for the electronic reporting by dealers, on a real-time basis, of all rifle ammunition and shotgun ammunition sales and transfers, and the information relating to each such sale and transfer, as required under paragraph (2) of this subsection. The superintendent shall establish an electronic data base containing all such reported information, which shall be available to all law enforcement officers on a real-time basis. The superintendent shall establish security procedures to protect the confidentiality of the information contained in this data base, which shall preclude access to the information to any person not lawfully entitled to it. For the purposes of P.L.1963, c.73 (C.47:1A-1 et seq.), the information contained in the data base established pursuant to this subsection shall not be deemed a government record.
c. No person shall sell, give, transfer, assign or otherwise dispose of rifle ammunition or shotgun ammunition to a person who is under 18 years of age.
d. The provisions of this section shall not apply to a collector of firearms or ammunition as curios or relics who purchases, receives, acquires, possesses, or transfers rifle ammunition or shotgun ammunition which is recognized as being historical in nature or of historical significance.
e. A person who violates this section shall be guilty of a crime of the fourth degree, except that nothing contained herein shall be construed to prohibit the sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of rifle ammunition or shotgun ammunition to, or the purchase, receipt or acceptance of ammunition by, a law enforcement agency or law enforcement official for law enforcement purposes.
f. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the transfer of ammunition for use in a lawfully transferred firearm in accordance with the provisions of section 1 of P.L.1992, c.74 (C.2C:58-3.1), section 1 of P.L.1997, c.375 (C.2C:58-3.2) or section 14 of P.L.1979, c.179 (C.2C:58-6.1).
g. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the sale of a de minimis amount of rifle ammunition or shotgun ammunition at a firearms range operated by a licensed dealer; a law enforcement agency; a legally recognized military organization; or a rifle or pistol club which has filed a copy of its charter with the superintendent for immediate use at that range.
3. This act shall take effect on the first day of the third month following enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill would further regulate the sale of ammunition and requires information relating to all such retail sales and transfers be recorded and readily available to law enforcement.
Under current law, the sale of handgun ammunition is regulated to the extent that a purchaser must establish his or her eligibility by exhibiting a firearms purchaser identification card, a permit to purchase a handgun, or a permit to carry a handgun and that he or she is 21 years of age or older.
This bill would establish a similar regulatory program governing the sale of rifle and shotgun ammunition. In addition to the documentation a purchaser may use to establish his or her eligibility to acquire handgun ammunition, this bill would permit prospective rifle and shotgun ammunition purchasers to exhibit a valid New Jersey hunting license. Sales and transfers of rifle and shotgun ammunition may not be made to individuals under 18 years of age.
The bill also requires the Superintendent of State Police to establish an electronic reporting program for dealers to record their sales and transfers of ammunition on a real time basis. Until that program is operational, dealers are to keep a register of their ammunition sales. The register is to include the name, address, age, type of documentation exhibited to establish their eligibility to purchase, the caliber or gauge of the ammunition sold, the numerical amount of ammunition transferred in the sale, and any other information the superintendent deems necessary. Once the electronic reporting program is available, dealers are to use it for their reporting. The superintendent is to establish an electronic data base containing all of the dealer reported information, which is to be available to all law enforcement officers on a real time basis.
Finally, for the purposes of the open public records act P.L.1963, c.73 (C.47:1A-1 et seq.), the bill specifies that all the sales and transfer information recorded in the electronic database is not a government record and, therefore, is to be kept confidential.
