SENATE LAW AND PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 2903

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JUNE 23, 2022

      The Law and Public Safety Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 2903 with committee amendments.

      As amended and reported by the committee, Senate Bill No. 2903 regulates the sale of handgun ammunition.  Under current law, handgun ammunition is regulated to the extent that a purchaser is to 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 requires an ammunition purchaser to also exhibit a driver’s license, nondriver identification card, or other government-issued form of photo identification at the time of purchase. 

      The bill requires a manufacturer or dealer of handgun ammunition to keep a detailed, electronic record of handgun ammunition sales.  The electronic record maintained by the manufacturer or wholesale dealer is required to contain the date of the transaction; the type, caliber, or gauge of the ammunition; the quantity of ammunition sold; the name and address of the purchaser; and any other information deemed necessary by the Superintendent of State Police.  The electronic record maintained by the retail dealer is required to contain the name of the manufacturer, the date of the transaction, the type, caliber, or gauge of the ammunition; the quantity of the ammunition sold; the name, address, and date of birth of the purchaser; the identification used to establish the identity of the purchaser; and any other information deemed necessary by the superintendent.  The amended bill requires handgun ammunition retailers to immediately report to the State Police any transaction involving the sale, transfer, assignment, or disposition of 2,000 or more rounds of handgun ammunition and information relating to each transaction.  A manufacturer or dealer that is unable to maintain records in an electronic form is to be given 12 months from the effective date of this bill to establish a system for maintaining electronic records of the transfer of handgun ammunition.  The electronic records are required to be made available for inspection at all reasonable hours by any law enforcement officer. 

      In addition, the bill requires the superintendent to establish a database for retail dealers to electronically report this information.  As amended, the bill grants the Attorney General access to the information to be used for law enforcement purposes. The reported information is to include the date of the transaction; the name of the manufacturer, the caliber or gauge, and the quantity of ammunition sold or transferred; the name, address, and date of birth of the purchaser; the identification used to establish the identity of the purchaser; and any other information that the superintendent requires.  A retail dealer of handgun ammunition may charge a fee not to exceed $5 for a transaction that is required to be electronically reported.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS

      The committee amended the bill to:

      1) require handgun ammunition retailers to immediately report to the State Police any transaction involving the sale, transfer, assignment, or disposition of 2,000 or more rounds of handgun ammunition and information relating to each transaction; 

      2) allow the Attorney General to access the electronic database of handgun ammunition sales for law enforcement purposes;

      3) extend the effective date to the first day of the seventh month following the bill’s enactment;

      4) remove the requirement that firearm sales be reported. As introduced, the bill required electronic reporting of both handgun ammunition and firearm sales; and

      5) make technical corrections.