Bill
S 3893
Expands machine gun to include frames/receivers and parts designed to convert guns, and criminalizes possession, manufacture, or sale of conversion devices and related parts.
Note: the bill text and committee statement provided address prohibitions on machine guns and conversion devices. The short title in the metadata (“Authorizes the commissioner of the division of housing and community renewal to prescribe certain forms in different languages”) appears to be unrelated to the bill text; this summary follows the legislative text and committee report for S-3893 concerning firearm components.
Summary — S3893 (introduced Dec. 5, 2024; reported with committee amendments June 19, 2025)
Purpose
- Expand the statutory definition of “machine gun” to include certain component parts and combinations of parts intended to convert a firearm into a machine gun, and to create new criminal offenses targeting possession and commerce in machine‑gun conversion devices and related components.
Key provisions
- Amends N.J.S.2C:39-1 (definitions) to clarify that “machine gun” includes:
- the frame or receiver of any such firearm;
- any part designed and intended solely and exclusively (or any combination of parts designed and intended) to convert a firearm into a machine gun; and
- any combination of parts from which a machine gun can be assembled if those parts are in a person’s possession or control.
- Continues to include firearms with trigger cranks and (as amended) machine‑gun conversion devices attached.
- Establishes and clarifies criminal offenses:
- Possession of a machine gun remains a second‑degree crime (existing law) — punishable by 5–10 years imprisonment, a fine up to $150,000, or both.
- Possessing machine‑gun conversion devices, bump stocks, and trigger cranks when the person does not possess an actual firearm to which they can be affixed is explicitly a third‑degree crime (new/clarified) — punishable by 3–5 years imprisonment, a fine up to $15,000, or both.
- Manufacturing, transporting, shipping, selling, or disposing of a machine‑gun conversion device is a third‑degree crime (new).
- Committee amendments refined the machine gun definition, revised the conversion‑device definition, and clarified the third‑degree possession offense for components without an accompanying firearm.
Who is affected
- Firearm owners, collectors, and gunsmiths (frame/receiver holdings may be covered).
- Manufacturers, distributors, retailers, online sellers, and shippers of firearm parts and conversion devices.
- Individuals possessing parts (including 3D‑printed parts or kits) that could convert a firearm into a machine gun.
- Law enforcement and prosecutors (new categories of evidence and charge options).
Procedural status and timeline
- Introduced in the Senate: 2024-12-05; referred to Senate Law & Public Safety Committee.
- Referred to Housing, Construction and Community Development: 2025-01-30.
- Reported out of Senate Law & Public Safety Committee with committee amendments (1R): 2025-06-19; also referred to Senate Budget & Appropriations Committee.
- Companion bill: A4974 (identical as reported); several prior-session related bills listed.
Potential impacts to note (practical effects)
- Broadening the statutory definition to include parts and assemblies increases the range of items that can trigger felony liability even if not assembled into a functioning firearm.
- Criminalizes commercial activity involving conversion devices, which could affect sellers (including online marketplaces) and manufacturers of parts or kits.
- May affect lawful collectors/repairers depending on applicability to receivers/frames and parts held for repair or historical purposes; implementation will depend on enforcement guidance and possible statutory exemptions (none specified in the provided text).
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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