Some of you may remember me asking about Las Vegas a while back (relocating for a new job). My son (16) was hesitant to move. In the time it took me to argue with him about it, the company had to go out and hire someone else after I initially turned them down.

They do however have a need for someone to open an office for them in New Jersey, supporting their product which will be all over Atlantic City. This company is growing very rapidly, and has doubled their workforce in the year that I have been dealing with them as a vendor. I'm on their short short list for this regional office position. It would also come with a 40% pay increase over what I make now.

I realize that New Jersey is a seething hellhole as far as gun laws are concerned. I understand that my AR will never legally be allowed to join me in that state, and will have to live with relatives in the interim.

If I do go, I don't really plan on staying forever, maybe work my hind end off for several years, bank some money and return to Michigan with some savings.

Question 1: What is required when importing handguns into NJ? Bolt rifles and pump shotguns are don't ask, don't tell, correct?

Question 2: What areas in the AC vicinity are decent places to live? AC itself appears to be a little Detroit on the beach, which is best avoided at all costs as a place to live. I've been looking around Egg Harbor Twp., Hammonton and Mays Landing.

I'll be driving down there next weekend to check out the area before I decide.

The state is blessed with more toxic waste dumps than any other state in the Union.  When your there, you will know why. [:D]

I spent my first 19 years in Jersey.
It is like anywhere else.  Good, Bad, and Beautiful.
IF you can avoid living near AC do it. Try and get 20 to 30minutes away....there are plenty of nice towns...egg harbor isnt that bad.

My 2 cents: To each his own.....you need to drive around and see it for yourself...we all have different opinions.

I know its not the answer you are looking for but its New Jersey.  Good Luck

If your AR is post-ban then it is welcome in the state. Hi-caps with capacity greater than 15 rounds will need to be temporarily blocked or left completely disassembled. Pre-ban guns need to remain out of state. [s]Your friendly local police will provide you with a NJ Firearms Purchaser ID card which you need for long guns, and a pistol permit for each pistol. FYI, you will be fingerprinted six ways to Sunday and the application asks for two non-family references who will be contacted.[/s]

Also, there is a law on the books which will effectively ban all pistol sales when a commercial gun manufacturer brings a "smart gun" to the market. Taurus is most likely 3 or 4 years away from having a prototype "smart gun." It's already in the works. Plan accordingly.

[b]UPDATE: I consulted my copy of [i]NAPPEN II: NEW JERSEY GUN, KNIFE & WEAPON LAW[/i], specifically the section on [i]MOVING [u]TO[/u] NEW JERSEY WITH GUNS[/i] on pages 301-302. I was wrong, you do NOT need an ID or permits to bring your guns with you.  You *will* need these things if you ever want to buy any more guns, though, even private transfers. Nappen does recommend getting the ID card, even though it's not needed, to help protect you from our overzealous overlords.[/b]

You could live in Pa. and commute to New Jersey

2_of_5,

I highly recommend you wander over to the NJ Hometown forum and seek out help there, you are likely to hear from a lot more residents...

[url]http://www.ar15.com/forums/forum.html?b=8&f=9[/url]

NJ is one of the buttholes of the earth.  I resided there for 30 years; note that I did not say "lived."  Why did I, you may ask?  Commute to NYC from a house I could afford.  

As far as long guns, it isn't that simple, either.  You need a "firearms ID" card.  Apply to the local Chief of POlice.  They can be straight about it or they can be arbitrary idiots.  On handguns, when I lived there you needed a permit to purchase.  I "BELIEVE" that you may have to get the purchase permit, whch becomes the possession permit in order to bring in handguns.  The permit will automatically register the handgun - one of the copies goes to Trenton after it is filled in.

I'd agree with the poster who said live in PA and commute.  I knew a lot of guys who lived in the Poconos and commuted to Long Island.

I should have gone there first! Not enough coffee yet this morning [:E]

this would be your best solution....jersey is evil. I'm faced with the same thing. I work in mass, but live in CT, which is the only commutable choice, not a great one, but it's still better than Mass by a long shot. Vermont or New Hampshire would be nice, but the drive would be too long.

Tell you about NJ? ok, it sucks. I lived there for 36 yrs and I hated it.
I lived in the North Arlington/Belleville/Newark area.

I would rather shove a steel spike into my foot than go back.

I have thought of that -- it looks to be about 50 miles from PA (outside of Philly) to AC. PA has CCW, which I hear NJ will never have.

I will have to order the new gun law book.  http://www.evannappen.com/nappenii/  My understanding after reading the first edition was that you do not need a Firearms ID unless you want to buy a gun.  If you don't have a Firearms ID you must be careful about transport because of the crazy regulations.  My understanding of the pistol permit is that you need it to buy a pistol.  If you already own firearms you don't need anything except a driver's license to buy ammo. (just don't stop to buy ammo or any other stops on the way to and from the range or hunting ground)

Most post ban AR configurations are OK but magazines must be blocked to 15 rds so as to cut down on crime.  

I live near AC and work there. If you want to, go ahead and send an e-mail and I will hit the reply button with my phone number.

One of the few states that makes California's gun laws look reasonable.

i was stationed in moorestown nj at the "corn field cruiser" west of philadelphia.  i was surprised that it was a kinda fun place to live.  good partying in philly.  pretty girls if you found the right places.  cops are like georgia cops and the gun laws are stupid and you can't buy beer in the grocery stores or gas stations.  there are worse places in the world but why would anyone want to live anywhere but the south?

Outside of the draconian gun laws, is the southern part not too bad? I've been through northern NJ, and it was a smelly industrial cesspit.

I hear the south is pretty rural...

It does get greener as you go south. You'll find lots of grass and cows. Stay away from the urban sprawl though. Seems like the affected areas double in size every year. And don't mind the smell, if it's not the refineries it's the wetlands. You'll get used to it. [BD]

And I've updated my first post to reflect the info I found in my law book.

Move to PA, commute to Atlantic City...
As a gun owner, you have no other choice...

The Atlantic City Expressway is straight as an arrow and basically runs from Philly to Atlantic City...

Philly is surrounded by nice suburbs and nieghborhoods. No need to live inside the city.

AC really is just a hop, skip and a jump from the PA border...

In PA you can also own Machineguns, Silencers, Short barrelled rifles, AOW's, Shorty shotguns, 30rd mags, etc...
It as good as Texas here in PA...

The difference in freedom is more than worth the short drive to work...

TRUST ME.

Just move to NJ and try to find a house you can afford. Bring your guns and keep quiet. Read up on the BS laws. Some of your guns may not see the light of day until you leave the state. Join the club. It's a big one.  Take what is legal to the range. I know more people here with all kinds of stuff that they just have stashed. The police here have better things to do than worry about you. Until you put on a ski mask and go into a bank to close everyone's account, the cops won't even know you are alive. Other than the gun laws and high property taxes, NJ is a nice place to live.

Ocean City is nice. I graduated high school there and met my wife there. If you are single, there are many single womanz there in the summer. The summers are great. That could be a selling point for your son.

Other places to look are Margate and Longport. If you are going to live there, might as well make it a place near the beach.

AC sucks. Don't DON'T live there.

The gun laws suck! The taxes suck! The attitudes of many of the people suck!

Good luck.

My ex lives in jersey.
She's gotta be the best thing about that crap hole.
Still if we wanted to get back together I don't think I could agree to be in NJ.

I grew up in NJ.  I only go back there for the food and strip clubs.  Oh yeah, and to visit family.

I hate New Jersey. No one from the state can pronounce the letter r, and it is in their  state's name.

It is a sh-t hole.  I know this because I grew up in Flint, MI.  The only place that actually makes New Jersey look like a garden state.

New Jersey is nice, even the north.

Laws are silly tho.

NJ sucks.
You should only live in NJ if you have quick access to the beaches.
They have some of the best beaches in the US.

The only two places I would consider moving to are Bayhead & Cape May.
Cape May is ~45min to AC, although I've never driven to AC from Cape May, I might be off a little. Cape May is more commercial with tourists in the summer and again at Christmas.

All you need to know about Bayhead is that it's a beachfront residential area.
But it’s probably an hour or so to AC.

Colts Neck & Westfield are more affordable, but too far from the beaches for me. They’re probably too far for commuting to AC.

One tip would be to live as close as humanly possible to your place of work. Traffic here is a sonofabitch, especially in the rush hours, which are about 3 hours long on each end. As you noted though, AC is a shithole to live in.  NJ gun laws can be draconian, but the upsides are shooting at the Ft. Dix range and buying guns at Sarco over the counter (with your NJ state firearms ID). Best of luck!

cons: New Jersey is a toxic chemical hell.

pros: it's not Ohio.

OK, you know all about the gun laws, so I'll skip that part.

The southern part of NJ is nice. The pine barrons, huge state forrest. Good for hiking, but VERY FLAT. Stay out of A.C.

Egg harbor, Mays Landing, and Hammonton are good places.

If you can handle the hour drive to A.C. for work, move to PA.

pros: absolutely nothing

cons: jrzy lives there, it's white trashy, it's dirty, it's in the North, jrzy lives there, etc., etc., etc.

I lived in New Jersey as a kid.  It was a great place to live because it was close to the Poconos, Philly, NYC, the shore, and all those areas have to offer.  But now that I'm an adult who likes nearby hunting opportunities and collecting and carrying firearms, I cannot imagine living in New Jersey.  That I can shoot to my heart's content on my own land without hearing a peep from the neighbors means I'm free.

The drive wouldn't be too bad from PA except I would be on call most of the time. I'd wind up getting several calls over the weekend and making the trip to AC 3 or 4 times, which would suck. I'd rather be 20 minutes away instead of an hour.

I'm glad to see the responses I've been getting haven't all been "Not only NO, but HELL NO!"

[ROFL2]