NRA-ILA 11/2/2020
New Jersey law defines “prohibited weapons and devices†to include “firearm silencers,†and any person who knowingly has one in his or her possession is guilty of a crime. A separate law, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-12, directs that “[n]o person shall be convicted of an offense†based on their unlawful possession of a silencer if, before any law enforcement investigation is commenced or charges are brought, the silencer is voluntarily surrendered to the local police chief or state police superintendent. The section advises that it does not grant “immunity from prosecution for any crime or offense except†for the unlawful possession of the devices surrendered.
According to news reports, New Jersey resident Matthew Moran placed two orders for automotive “fuel filters†in response to an ad on Instagram. After the first package of two arrived, Moran thought they looked like silencers and took them to a friend at an auto parts shop. He was told the items were not fuel filters and that he should dispose of them.
As allowed by the state law, Moran voluntarily surrendered the first shipment to his local police department and told the detective that the second shipment, which had yet to arrive, was being cancelled. He “notified the China-based Instagram vendor, PayPal, and his bank to cancel the second order and payment,†and alerted the U.S. Postal Service that he was refusing delivery of any shipment from that vendor. When the second order was delivered to his home despite his instructions and precautions, Moran “immediately†transported it to the police to voluntarily surrender the package. He was arrested on his way into the building.
More:
https://www.nraila.org/articles/20201102/rolling-the-dice-on-new-jersey-s-voluntary-surrender-law
