S 1494

SENATE, No. 1494
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator JOSEPH P. CRYAN
District 20 (Union)
SYNOPSIS
���� Establishes firearms storage grant program;
appropriates $300,000.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.
��
An Act concerning firearms storage, supplementing chapter 58
of Title 2C of the New Jersey Statutes, and making an appropriation.
���� Be It
Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� a.� As used in this act:
���� �Firearm hold agreement� means
a written agreement between a retail dealer licensed under N.J.S.2C:58-2 and
the owner of a legally obtained firearm in which the dealer takes physical
possession of the owner�s locked firearm at the owner�s request, stores the
locked firearm for an agreed-upon period of time, and returns the firearm to
the owner according to the terms of the agreement.� Nothing in this agreement
shall require the owner to obtain an additional firearms purchaser
identification card or handgun purchaser permit.
���� �Firearms storage unit� means
a vault, safe, locker or other instrumentality of an enclosed storage designed
for multiple firearms.� Firearms storage unit shall exclude a trigger locking
device.
���� �Locked� means a firearm that
is secured with an engaged trigger or cable lock or in a locked container.
���� b.��� A retail dealer may
enter into a firearm hold agreement with a firearm owner.� The agreement shall
not require the payment of a fee by the owner to the retail dealer in exchange
for the storage of the firearm.
���� c.���� A retail dealer who
takes possession of a firearm pursuant to a firearm hold agreement shall not be
liable for loss or damage caused by any act or omission resulting from the
implementation of, or good faith attempt to, implement the provisions of this act,
unless such loss or damage was caused by willful or wanton misconduct.
���� 2.��� a.� The Department of
Law and Public Safety shall establish a Firearms Storage Grant Program.� The
purpose of the program shall be to encourage retail dealers to offer off-site
firearms storage to customers, especially those that are concerned with suicide
prevention.�
���� b.��� The department shall be
authorized to award a grant of up to $5,000 to an applicant who is a licensed
retail dealer in this State.� Under the program, grants shall be made available
for the purchase of firearms storage units or to reimburse a qualifying applicant
for eligible costs expended for the implementation of a firearm hold agreement.
���� c.���� One year following the
effective date of this act, and annually thereafter, the Attorney General shall
submit a written report to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991,
c.164 (C.52:14-19.1) the Legislature, on the implementation and effectiveness
of the Firearms Storage Grant Program.� Each report submitted shall include:
���� (1)�� the number and dollar
amount of grant awards issued during the reporting period;
���� (2)�� a recommendation as to
whether the grant program should be continued;
���� (3)�� the amount of funds
appropriated that remain unexpended and available to award additional grants
under the program; and
���� (4)�� any other information
the Attorney General deems appropriate.
���� 3.��� There is appropriated
from the General Fund to the Department of Law and Public Safety the sum of
$300,000 for the purposes of funding the grants under the Firearm Storage Grant
Program, established pursuant to this act.� These funds shall be carried forward.
���� 4.��� This act shall take
effect on the first day of the fourth month next following the date of
enactment.
STATEMENT
���� This bill establishes the
Firearms Storage Grant program within the Department of Law and Public Safety
(DLPS).
���� Under the bill, a licensed
firearms retail dealer is permitted to enter into a firearm hold agreement with
a firearm owner to temporarily store the owner�s legally obtained firearms on
the retail dealer�s premises, especially owners who are concerned with suicide
prevention.� The bill does not require an owner who enters into such an
agreement to obtain an additional firearms purchaser identification card or
handgun purchase permit.� The bill provides that the retail dealer who takes
possession of a firearm pursuant to a firearm hold agreement is not liable for
loss or damage resulting from a good faith attempt to implement or the
implementation of the agreement, unless such loss or damage was caused by
willful or wanton misconduct.
���� Under the bill, a retail
dealer may apply to the DLPS for a grant of up to $5,000 for eligible costs
related to acquiring storage units as defined in the bill to be a vault, safe,
locker or other instrumentality of storage designed for multiple firearms.
���� The bill appropriates $300,000
to the DLPS for the issuance of grants under the bill.� Each year, the Attorney
General is to submit a report to the Governor and Legislature on the
implementation and effectiveness of the Firearms Storage Grant Program.� The
reports are to include the number and dollar amount of grants awarded, a
recommendation on whether to continue the program, and the amount of funds that
remain unexpended and available to award additional grants.� It is the
sponsor�s intent that the $300,000 appropriation should be carried forward
until depleted.