Effective September 15, 2023, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin and New Jersey State Police Superintendent Colonel Patrick Callahan have issued new training standards to all certified firearms instructors in the state. The new Civilian Carry Assessment and Range Evaluation (CCARE) protocol, a live-range training, replaces the Permit to Carry Safe Handling and Proficiency Qualification protocol (HQC2-modified) issued on July 21, 2023, and is the required range component pursuant to N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4(g). 

As for individuals who completed firearms training prior to July 1, 2023, and whose permit to carry does not expire until after December 22, 2023, they must requalify on the CCARE protocol or the HQC2-modified protocol issued on July 21, 2023. An individual who completed a course of fire prior to the issuance of the CCARE Protocol is deemed to have satisfied N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4(g)(2) if and only if the prior course included the standards set forth in the new CCARE training.

For more information, please review the following documents: