am going to be traveling to New Jersey this summer for 3 months and want to take my guns with me
This type of question comes up a lot - usually, in the form of, "I'm going to NJ to visit so-and-so - can I bring a gun?". This is one of the many "gray areas" of NJ law.
As a general rule of law, possession of a long gun in NJ is illegal without first obtaining a Firearms ID card. Possession of a handgun in NJ is illegal without first obtaining a permit to carry. That comes from 2C:39-5 - Unlawful Possession of Weapons.
Now, there are various exemptions to that law. 2C:39-6e says that you may keep or carry any legal firearm about your place of business, residence, premises, or other land that you own or possess.
That's where the gray area comes in. This place that you'll be staying for 3 months - I assume it's not your place of business. I'm also going to assume you don't own the place. So, it comes down to whether or not a prosecutor or judge would consider that place to be your "residence".
And therein lies the potential danger. Lots of people will tell you, "sure, it's fine - you're staying there, it's your residence at the time - it's legal". Some PD's have told people this in the past, too. Unless you hear it from a lawyer who can cite previous case law supporting that position, or a prosecutor who says he considers a temporary residence to meet the standard as it relates to 2C:39-6e, I'd advise caution, and to leave them at home. It sucks, but it sucks a whole lot less than doing years in our State Prison system.
Again - any one who tells you, "go ahead and bring 'em - you'll be fine" is simply offering an opinion. As am I. The difference is, my opinion won't get you convicted.
This is New Jersey. We hate gun people. We hate out-of-state gun people more. We ESPECIALLY hate out-of-state gun people from free states who don't see guns as the scourge of society that we do. Ask the hunter from Utah how much we like out-of-state gun owners.
