STARS PACKIN' HEAT!

J.Lo and her 2-year-old twins can rest easy at night: Daddy is packing heat.
Singer Marc Anthony is one of dozens of celebs, millionaires and high-profile athletes authorized to carry a concealed weapon in the city, records show.

And the number of A-listers who have guns is growing.

"We have seen an increase in celebs seeking their own permits," said John Skylar Chambers, a lawyer who has helped New Yorkers get gun permits for more than 20 years.

"They can get their own security, but with the Internet, it is much easier to find people. They don't want to find someone on their lawn at 5 in the morning."

Other big names licensed to carry a gun include actor Robert De Niro, shock jock Howard Stern and supermarket mogul John Catsimatidis. Billionaire Donald Trump and his son, Donald Jr.; celebrity lawyer David Breitbart, and artificial-heart inventor Robert Jarvik can also carry steel, police records reveal.

Mets third-baseman David Wright has a permit to keep a gun in his city penthouse. Martha Stewart's daughter, radio host Alexis Stewart, also has a permit.

Not everyone scores. Bernie Madoff's son Andrew couldn't persuade the NYPD to issue him a gun permit - not even to keep a firearm in his home.

Anthony's special carry permit allows him to tote a loaded weapon. He got it under his real name, Marco Antonio Muniz, and has an application for a similar permit in Nassau County.

Anthony and his superstar wife, Jennifer Lopez, are raising twins Emme and Max in their $2million home in Brookville, Nassau County.

It's unclear why Anthony wanted the permit; the 42-year-old singer's lawyer didn't respond to requests for comment. To get a permit, applicants have to prove a documented threat or that they routinely carry large amounts of cash or valuables.

While experts say the number of celebs allowed to carry guns is on the rise, the number of overall permits issued in the city this year is down from last year. There were 2,145 carry permits issued last year compared with 2,093 this year - a dip of about 2.4%.

The NYPD charges a nonrefundable $340 to file an application for a gun permit and between $94 and $106 for the collection of fingerprints, even before a background check is begun.

Gun permits aren't easy to get.

"The NYPD is extremely thorough in their investigation," said divorce lawyer to the stars Raoul Felder, who also has a permit to carry. "In other states, you fill out a form, swear you are not a lunatic, and you get it."

Some learn the value of a carry permit the hard way.

Former Giants receiver Plaxico Burress was sentenced to two years in prison after shooting himself in a Manhattan nightclub in 2008. The gun wasn't licensed in New York.