Two gun-rights organizations have filed a federal lawsuit challenging New Jersey laws governing the possession of non-firearm weapons for self-defense.
The Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs, known as ANJRPC, and Knife Rights filed the lawsuit on September 21, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. Several individual plaintiffs are also part of the case. The lawsuit is titled Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs, Inc. et al. v. Davenport et al., Case No. 3:26-cv-12401.
The plaintiffs argue that New Jersey’s weapons laws can expose people to criminal charges when they carry certain non-firearm objects in anticipation of using them for personal protection. ANJRPC lists knives, baseball bats, golf clubs, hammers, screwdrivers, pepper spray and stun guns among the items it says may be affected depending on the circumstances and intended use.
At the center of the dispute is the distinction between possessing an ordinary object for a lawful purpose and possessing an object as a weapon. New Jersey law separately prohibits possession of a non-firearm weapon when a person intends to use it unlawfully against another person or property.
New Jersey law also contains specific exceptions. For example, adults who meet the statutory requirements may possess a pocket-sized self-defense spray containing no more than three-quarters of an ounce of a qualifying chemical substance.
ANJRPC argues that the broader legal framework places people in an unusual position: an item may be legal to possess for an ordinary purpose but potentially become legally problematic when carried as a weapon for anticipated self-defense. The organization is asking the federal court to find the challenged restrictions unconstitutional. That characterization represents the plaintiffs’ legal position; the court has not yet ruled on the merits of their claims.
The lawsuit was filed under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and is classified on the federal docket as a constitutional challenge to a state statute. U.S. District Judge Georgette Castner is listed as the presiding judge, with Magistrate Judge J. Brendan Day also assigned to the case.
The case could eventually clarify how New Jersey’s weapons laws apply to people who carry non-firearm objects specifically for personal protection and how those restrictions interact with constitutional protections claimed by the plaintiffs.
For now, however, the lawsuit represents the beginning of the federal court challenge rather than a change in New Jersey law.
Sources: Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs; U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey docket via Justia; New Jersey Legislature.
By NJ RADAR Team