New Jersey Section 2C:58-19 – Report of loss, theft of firearm within 36 hours; violations, penalties

New Jersey has a law, Section 2C:58-19, that requires the legal owner of a firearm to report the loss or theft of their gun within 36 hours. This law is intended to help law enforcement track missing firearms and potentially reduce gun violence. But what exactly does it require, what are the penalties for non-compliance, and what are the implications? This article will break it down.

What Does the Law Require?

Simply put, Section 2C:58-19 requires that if you legally own a gun in New Jersey and discover it is lost or stolen, you must report this to the police within 36 hours.

Specifically, you need to notify either:

• The chief law enforcement officer of the municipality where the loss or theft occurred, or
• The Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, if where you live does not have a local police department

You must provide this report within 36 hours of discovering the firearm is missing.

What Are the Penalties for Not Reporting?

If you don’t report a lost or stolen gun within 36 hours as required, you can face civil penalties under New Jersey law.

For a first offense, the minimum civil penalty is $500. For any second or subsequent offense, the minimum civil penalty increases to $1,000.

These civil penalties will be imposed under New Jersey’s Penalty Enforcement Law.

So while failure to report won’t land you in prison, it can still hit you hard in the wallet.

What’s the Purpose Behind This Law?

Laws requiring the prompt reporting of lost or stolen firearms serve an important public safety purpose. They help ensure missing guns are tracked by law enforcement before they can be used to commit crimes.

Getting notices of missing firearms also aids police in investigating gun trafficking patterns. If certain individuals seem to frequently “lose” guns that later show up at crime scenes, it can indicate illegal firearm transfers.

Overall, these reporting requirements allow cops to respond faster when guns go missing and have more insight into potential criminal activity. This can help reduce gun violence.