TRAMMO13 4 KURDZUK

This file photo shows ammunition purchased by investigators from the State Commission of Investigation during their 2006 inquiry.

(TONY KURDZUK/File photo)

TRENTON -- A decade after a state commission recommended changes to New Jersey's ammunition sales laws, the investigative body says there are still loopholes allowing fraud and straw purchases for those who aren't allowed to have firearms.

A new report from the State Commission of Investigation found laws enacted to prevent such abuse still allowed buyers to illegally obtain ammunition.

The report also found police efforts to track ammunition sales had been "stymied" by an "antiquated system" used to log transactions.

The findings could renew debates over firearms in the Democrat-controlled Legislature, which in recent years has passed a number of measures further tightening gun control in the Garden State only to see them vetoed by Republican Gov. Chris Christie.

The SCI is an independent state watchdog that publishes periodic reports detailing the findings of its investigations and recommending changes to state law.

Wednesday's report, dubbed "Armed and Dangerous -- Ten Years Later," is the first in a series of reports following up on previous investigations, according to Kathy Riley, a commission spokeswoman.

Its 2007 report found New Jersey had some of the strictest gun laws in the U.S., but no restrictions on the sale of ammunition. In response to the commission's findings, state lawmakers enacted changes requiring state-issued firearms identification to buy ammo.

The new report found the changes did not include the commission's recommendation that such identification include a photograph, claiming that omission allowed straw-purchasers and others prohibited from owning firearms to buy ammunition using someone else's ID.

Its undercover investigators purchased ammunition at gun stores across the state, finding that while "retailers generally followed the provisions of the law," the process was still vulnerable to abuse.

On several occasions, the report said, "investigators successfully purchased ammunition using another individual's firearms credentials because the seller neglected to ask the investigators to provide a second form of identification with a photograph, such as a driver's license, to verify the buyer's identity."

The commission recommended updating the state's firearms purchaser ID to include a photograph, or to require a second photo identification when purchasing ammunition.

The report also found New Jersey's system for tracking ammunition sales was "antiquated and ineffective," relying on handwritten log books kept by gun store owners that are subject to periodic inspection by police.

It said the state should adopt an electronic tracking system similar to the one used to monitor prescription drug purchases, which authorities have used to identify possible abuse.

"By plugging into a searchable database, police could determine if there were links between criminal activity and recent ammunition purchases," the report said. "Further, the database could be used to 'red flag' excessive ammunition purchases."

To pay for such an upgrade, the commission recommended increasing the fee to obtain a firearms IDs as much as five-fold, raising the cost from $5 for an ID card to $25 and requiring it be renewed regularly. Currently, gun owners also have to pay upwards of $50 to be fingerprinted, among other costs.

Scott Bach, the head of the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs, a gun owners' group, called the commission's findings "a solution in search of a problem."

"The recommendations are based on the false and naive premise that criminals use ID cards to purchase ammunition in the first place," he said in an e-mail. "Putting a photo on a card used only by law-abiding citizens will neither disrupt illegal trafficking nor make anyone safer."

The commission acknowledged that tightening New Jersey's laws "will not unilaterally solve what is a complex interstate problem," noting that the Garden State is one of just four states that require a firearms ID to buy ammo, and those looking to circumvent New Jersey law can head to Pennsylvania or Delaware, where there are no such restrictions.

"Clearly, no one state can solve the problem," the report said. "Ammunition is also widely available via the internet where an amalgam of legitimate and questionable retailers operate mostly beyond the reach of state authorities."

Two bills currently before the state Legislature would enact some of the commission's recommendations. One bill (S2496) would require color photos on firearms identification cards and purchase and carry permits.

Another (A1738) would require such identification be renewed every four years.

S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.