It's not official just yet. But consider it a done deal.

New Jersey's already strict gun-control rules are about to get even tougher.

A half-dozen proposals, including measures that would reduce magazine capacity, armor-piercing bullets, make it tougher to obtain a permit to carry a handgun, expand background checks on private gun sales, and keep firearms out of the hands of people deemed a threat to themselves and others, cleared a final hurdle in the state Legislature Thursday.

They now head to Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat who said in a tweet that he intends to sign them on Wednesday.

Some of the measures had been rebuffed for eight years, by former Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican.

The bills passed the state Senate on Thursday with very little discussion from lawmakers, and four of the six cleared with bipartisan support.

"This is our response to our nation's crisis," state Sen. Richard Codey, D-Essex. "We need national legislation. but we here in the state should be proud that we're standing up for safety in our schools and will continue to do so everyday

Murphy, a Democrat, campaigned last year for tighter gun laws.

New Jersey's gun laws are already among the toughest in the country. And many of these Democratic-sponsored bills have been around for years, with most having been blocked by Christie.

The two bills that faced GOP resistance on Thursday included a measure that would tighten rules for people to carry handguns and another that would ban magazines in the state that hold more than 10 rounds.

The state Assembly passed the bills in March. There's been speculation in Trenton the reason the state Senate delayed a vote on the gun bills was to help one of its lawmakers: state Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May.

Van Drew, who's running for Congress, took heat from his more progressive primary opponents for his A-rating from the National Rifle Association. Thursday's vote comes two days after he clinched his primary win.

Van Drew voted with most of the chamber's Republicans on the two bills that faced opposition largely along party lines.

After the vote, state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, said New Jersey's actions on guns will help, but stressed that many illegal guns come from other states with weaker gun laws.

"That's the real problem," Sweeney said. "And most the gun violence is coming from illegal guns. We're doing our very best to send a message that we want to tighten the laws up. But at the end of the day there's a lot more work than what we're doing here. I don't want to give anybody any false hope. There's a lot of work that needs to be done."

Murphy last month highlighted statistics showing more than three-quarters of guns connected to crimes in New Jersey come from beyond its borders.

The following bills passed the state Senate and are now on Murphy's desk:

* A1217, which will create restraining orders in the state allowing family members and others to ask a judge to have a person's guns seized and ban them from buying weapons for up to a year. The bill passed by a 32-5 vote.

* A1181, which will mandate law enforcement in the state to seize a person's guns if a mental health professional determines they pose a threat to themselves or others passed by a 30-5 vote.

* A2758, which will strictly define that state residents need to show a "justifiable need" to obtain a permit to carry a handgun -- meaning they must show they face a specific threat to their own safety. The bill passed 24-13.

* A2757, which will require all private gun sales in the state to go through a licensed dealer who can perform an additional background check at the point of sale. It passed by a 31-3 vote.

* A2759, which will create an outright ban in the state on possessing armor-piercing bullets. The bill passed 37-0.

* A2761, which will ban magazines in the state that hold more than 10 rounds, with some exceptions. The bill passed 23-13.

The measures were debated at a heated legislative hearing in Trenton in February.

The Senate also passed a seventh gun control bill (S2465) which would ban "ghost guns" that are assembled with untraceable gun components. The vote was 37-0, and the bill now heads to the Assembly.

NJ Advance Media staff writers Brent Johnson and Samantha Marcus contributed to this report.

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook.