New Jersey Gun Law and Talon SS
😥
I just purchased a Talon SS from Pyramid Air which was delivered to a firearms dealer in NJ recently. When I went to pickup the rifle I was told it was illegal in NJ and I had to exchange the rifle. According to the dealer the rifle is considered a sawed-off-shotgun due to it’s barrel lenngth. Any shotgun with a barrel length under 18 inches or rifle with a barrel lenth under 16 inches is considered a sawed-off-shotgun which is illegal in NJ. In NJ all BB\Pellet airguns atre considered a firearm. Barrel length is measured from breach to muzzle.
As the dealer said he recently discovered this through research can anyone verify or deny this law?
Does anyone own a Talon SS in NJ?
Considering this law as valid. What would be my best option as an exchange? I plan on using only in back yard for target and plinking. I had ordered a .177. Pyramid Air mentioned possibly ordering a larger barrel. I would have to see if the dealer is willing to replace the barrel.
All Replies
As long as you have your NJ Firearms Purchaser Identification Card and find a dealer willing to ship it to a dealer in NJ you should have no problem at all.
JFK
From everything I can see, a standard 18″ barrel Talon is OK though.
No “silencer” and barrel longer than 16″. No issues in NJ.
I think that might be my solution for now.
I guess the ONLY thing they could comment on would be the “assault rifle” issue since it has both a pistol grip AND a detachable stock. But if the ‘stock’ is detached, it don’t work… AND, the definition of a rifle includes a combustable cartridge. So I think we’re safe with that.
What says the group? Are we Jersey boys ok with the 18″ barrel standard Talon or am I missing something obvious?
Who wants a weapon that your constantly worried about using???
Sigh. Grrrr.
Mattnshilp….I hear ya’. I bought a TalonSS a few months ago from a dealer in Long Island and brought it home to my apartment in NJ. Then I started reading this forum and found out I could go to jail for a pellet gun 😥 👿 Now, I keep my baby hidden until my lease is up in May. I am counting the days til I am out of here…I feel like I’m in a Nazi state.
For all you who read this…I am truly envious of those that can shoot all day, without bother, in your own backyards. …and for me, that day is coming soon 😀
Thanks Yellow Ninja,
That bit of info is very helpful, I have had more than one person look down their nose at me and my TOY.
I was out hunting today and boy was it loud without GTBJ.
I feel much more comfortable now with it on, thank’s to you and your experience.
Sincerely,
CH.
I just go by the caliber limits (.22 for my zone) and the rifle seasons when I hunt with my BB gun. So far that’s worked out and my shroud when I use it doesn’t get any questions – Once they realize its an air gun they look down their nose as if I’m just a kid out with his BB gun and leave me alone.
So long as whatever you have on your gun doesn’t screw off then your fine here.
Thanks Yellow Ninja,
I appreciate the info, it is great to have your knowledge and experience on here.
I am waiting for a reply from Mass wildlife and NH wildlife about hunting with air rifles and getting my daughter into hunting. She is fifteen and mildly autistic, just want to be clear on the laws so I don’t break any. Unfortunatly it takes a long time to get a reply.
I still can’t gett any definate info on the shroud, Works great on the condor, but I just don’t want to run into any trouble with it, if ya know what I mean.
Regards,
CH.
Thanks,
CH.
While some of our firearm laws are a PITA you can have any Airgun you want without restriction or regulation. Some places wont ship certain things here such as Airguns and some accessories etc (Midway USA, Midsouth Shooter’s Supply and Sportmans Guide come to mind), but that’s just because they don’t want to deal with the in’s and outs of MA law and RISK getting into trouble. It is not because they are illegal.
You can shoot on your own property as long as there isn’t a municipal ordinance against it and I’ve had friends live in the greater Boston area and I’ve called the local police on their behalf to check and been told they are fine.. so while it COULD be illegal to shoot, I doubt there are many towns that have made it so.
So a Condor, SS, Talon and even a DAQ 457 are all perfectly fine… but it is however illegal for myself and anyone else in MA to own a sling shot or a blowgun…..
Can you imagine going to jail for 5 years for a freakin 30 round pellet magazine!!!!
sigh…
Kind of like going to jail for the rest of your life for having a pot seed in Michigan… 😯
There should be an idiot clause, if your an idiot enough to get into a gun fight with a bb gun you should be allowed to… 😆
Man, NJ is one tough state of firearms… 😥
Does anyone know about the Massachusetts laws ?
Thanks,
CH.
I was also considering a Beretta CX-4 but that’s not permitted in NJ either. Well, the gun is, just not the 30 round pellet magazine!
Can you imagine going to jail for 5 years for a freakin 30 round pellet magazine!!!!
sigh…
I appreciate that. And I’m a law abidding citizen (other than maybe some traffit laws 🙄 ) so the likelihood of me getting in trouble for something else is hopefully low. But who the hell knows what can happen… I could be shooting in my backyard and a neighbor having a bad day makes a noise complaint and a police officer (also having a bad day) comes and asks to see the rifle and decides to bust my chops…
I’m looking at a Talon SS modified to the gills, which means it will cost be over a grand once all is said and done.
Even the best case scenario would be that the gun is confiscated… 🙁
The worst case means I’m spending time in jail over a pellet gun !!!
Not worth the worry and the risk. God bless New Jersey, where our license plates should read “welcome to the fascist state!”
_Matt
Last thing on my mind was who had a silenced pellet rifle trust me. If you got busted for someting else might add it on top for good measures.
Pot is illegal on the Federal level but in California you can have a pot shop? 😕
San Francisco is breaking Federal law all the time yet nobody has stepped up to sue from the Federal perspective, they consider AirSoft to be firearms… But we all know they are so gay a fart is probably considered a deadly weapon… 🙄
That exact verbage is in my towns law. (airgun, slingshot, blah, blah)
It also says you can not shoot these in your home. But not illegal to own, Yet !
But I can have an outdoor firing range if I get all neighbors with 250′ to
sign off on it. So all of my neighbors are OK except for the county.
There are 50+ acres of county land (where hunting is legal) next to me.
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Thanks JFK, but if there is one thing I have learned in this hunt for Talon information is that NJ dealers are NOT the source for legal information.
I called the NJ dept of firearms last week and even they said that they don’t know all the laws and to speak to a firearms lawyer if there is a question…
I asked them about the Beretta CX-4 air rifle and it’s 30 round pellet magazine also. There where 2 questions to address with the CX-4. One was the high capacity magazine and the other was the fact that since the stock “can” be removed with the rifle still functioning then it could be considered an assault rifle since it combines a pistol grip and removable (or foldable) stock. I SH!T you not!!! They where telling me that a CX-4 PELLET gun may be considered an illegal tactical ASSAULT WEAPON in NJ !!!!!! And that the 30 round PELLET magazine was CLEARLY illegal in NJ based on current law. Since there are no magazines but the 30 rounder available for the CX-4, the Beretta is not allowed in N.J. The Crossman Night Stalker is OK since it has a 12 round magazine. And all they said about the Talon SS is that if it has a silencer, or anything that could be remotely considered a silencer (removable or permanantly attached) than it’s forbidden and will land you in jail!!!
Now I am pretty sure that an air rifle can not be considered an assault weapon, but short of E-mailing that lawyer I contacted before, there is just no way to know for sure… And he gave me a freebie on the first answer. I’m sure I would have to pay for more answers.
So I could find an open minded NJ dealer and STILL import a potentially illegal weapon because there is way too much grey area regarding air rifles in the NJ law, which I have now practically memorized.
I do think I’m OK with the 18″ standard Talon. No shroud, over 16″ barrel. And although it’s stock is “removable” and it has a pistol grip which could potentially make it an AIR ASSAULT WEAPON (Give me a Freakin Break!!), it is NOT functional with the stock removed so it’s not an issue. And I am a legal NJ Firearms Purchase Permit holder.
Even the local police department is not a reliable source. I tried there and the detective I spoke with told me I was being over cautious and that no cop would nail anyone for a simple BB gun infringement unless it was icing on the cake of a series of other charges. That may be true and I believe it, but it’s NOT the law…
Interestingly (and good to know), the Nj Firearms Dept. officer told me that you ABSOLUTELY MUST transfer a pistol’s ownership (even NJ citizen to NJ citizen who lives right next to each other) at an FFL with the pistol purchase permit. But that a rifle sale can be documented with the “Voluntary Gun Registration” paperwork found on-line and submitted to your local police office. You just have to put who you bought the rifle (or air rifle) from; as long they are also a legal permit holding owner. Air pistols are still considered concealable firearms and need to be transferred at an FFL.
Wow that was a long post! 😉