Gun-Rights Groups Ask Federal Court To Strike Down New Jersey’s Rationing Scheme

Pro-Second Amendment organizations asked a federal judge Monday to rule a New Jersey law limiting people to purchasing one firearm a month unconstitutional.

New Jersey’s “one gun a month” law took effect in January 2010 after it was signed into law by then-Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine. The National Rifle Association (NRA) and Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) filed a motion for summary judgement, saying the law violated the Second Amendment rights of residents.

“The purchase limitation Plaintiffs challenge is relatively novel and relatively rare,” the motion said. “The first handgun-rationing law was not passed until 1975. Only five states – California (1999), Maryland (2003), New Jersey (2009), South Carolina (1975) and Virginia (1993) – have ever enacted similar laws, and only three states’ laws remain in force today.”

United States District Judge Karen Williams, a Biden appointee in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, will decide whether to grant the motion.

On June 11, 2025, a three-judge panel from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, consisting of United States Circuit Judges Bridget S. Bade, Danielle J. Forrest and John Owens, struck down California’s version of the “one gun a month” limit on Second Amendment grounds in a 3-0 ruling. Bade and Forrest were appointed to the bench during President Donald Trump’s first term, while Owens was an appointee of former President Barack Obama.

“California’s law is facially unconstitutional because possession of multiple firearms and the ability to acquire firearms through purchase without meaningful constraints are protected by the Second Amendment and California’s law is not supported by our nation’s tradition of firearms regulation,” the opinion written by Forrest said.

Supporters of these measures claim they prevent firearms trafficking, particularly in cases involving the bulk purchases of “inexpensive” handguns. Second Amendment supporters argue that current federal laws can punish firearms trafficking.