Firearms Applications Are Now Online

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  JACKSON – Township Police are reminding residents that firearms applications are now online so those residents seeking to apply for a firearms identification card or permit to purchase a handgun no longer need to come to police headquarters.

  Those interested in such items can now go online through the Firearms Application and Registration System (FARS) on the New Jersey State Police website, the agency’s ORI number is NJ0151100:

  Visit njsp.org/firearms/fars.shtml

  Jackson Police advised that due to the extremely high volume recently, applications are taking longer than usual to process.

  Due to the volume, the criminal history checks and criminal checks from the state have taken additional time and if a criminal history is located, it takes additional time to get that information in the mail from the state for the department to begin the rest of the background investigation that is done to determine eligibility.

  Records which typically have been mailed within a week in the past are taking several weeks or longer to obtain. Once they are received, the background is completed and then reviewed before it is forwarded to the chief of police.

  This becomes more involved with out of state incidents where other agencies may have to be contacted for additional information to determine eligibility under New Jersey laws.

  One-way applicants can assist in the process is to ensure that reference information is accurate and the references respond to the email request.

  Additional staff has been utilized when available to assist with the additional workload. The applications which for the agency to date have been:

  • January: 111
  • February: 64
  • March: 140
  • April: 112
  • May: 84
  • June: 419

  “Thank you for your continued support during this time,” Jackson Police Captain Steven Laskiewicz, Investigations Division Commander said.