congrats on the license. that sounds like it sucks i would get annoyed with all that wait. what are you thinking of getting?

congrats on being deemed "good enough" by new york..... its obvious by the time it took to get issued that you were judged on merits and not connections

Welcome and congrats!

Ha! Thanks guys. Just picked up the actual license this morning. Guess NYC is just being extra careful with me and my spotless record. Might be a front. In any case, no sense in complaining now. In regards to what I want, I'm currently debating between the HK P2000sk in .40, and the Colt Defender in .45. The compacts really appeal to me. Have you guys had any experience with either?

NYC dissuades and infringes upon the right of law abiding citizens to purchase firearms. Unfortunately, the non-law abiding citizens benefit.

denner, couldn't have said that better.

Originally Posted by bengewarmer

Hey all, just thought I'd waste a few seconds of everyone's time to announce that the approval letter for my NYC handgun license came in the mail today. A solid five months has finally paid off and it is now time to get ready to make my first purchase. No doubt I'll be asking for more advice through the next week or so! Cheers!

Good God, five months? I hope you are allowed to carry with that licence.

Originally Posted by berettatoter

Good God, five months? I hope you are allowed to carry with that licence.

That's a good one. In NYC? They've fiddled with my mind to the point where I'm gracious that it only took 5 months. Sure I can carry, I can carry it from my bedroom, to my kitchen, and even into the living room!

ny has 3 different licenses that i know of.... the home permit, the business permit and the carry permit..... the home permit from what my friends in the business tell me is the easiest to get.

Well, just picked up a brand new H&K P2000 in .40S&W. Couldn't be happier. This thing is just plain beautiful. Going to the range on Saturday to finally put some rounds through her.

Originally Posted by bengewarmer

Hey all, just thought I'd waste a few seconds of everyone's time to announce that the approval letter for my NYC handgun license came in the mail today. A solid five months has finally paid off and it is now time to get ready to make my first purchase. No doubt I'll be asking for more advice through the next week or so! Cheers!

I had my carry license for 22 years while I was living on Long Island. I then moved to Dutchess County and when my NY State license came up for renewal I went to the pistol clerk's office to do so. I was told I had to re-apply, and I could only use references from Dutchess County (where I knew no one). So three years later I get my references together and pick up my application.

(Now here's the good part.)

There was an 8 month wait for an appointment to put in the application.

Approval was to take 3 to 6 weeks, but the mental health department had a budget cut back and was just processing one or two names a day, so it took exactly 8 months for the license to come through.

Then I bought my gun, brought the paper to the pistol clerk, but could not pick up the gun until they mailed me the new license with the pistol data printed on it (3-1/2 weeks). So the total was nearly 17 months.

Your five month wait sounds like a sweatheart deal.

Congratulations. Your license is good anywhere in the state; mine is good everywhere but Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx.

Originally Posted by Packard

I had my carry license for 22 years while I was living on Long Island. I then moved to Dutchess County and when my NY State license came up for renewal I went to the pistol clerk's office to do so. I was told I had to re-apply, and I could only use references from Dutchess County (where I knew no one). So three years later I get my references together and pick up my application.

(Now here's the good part.)

There was an 8 month wait for an appointment to put in the application.

Approval was to take 3 to 6 weeks, but the mental health department had a budget cut back and was just processing one or two names a day, so it took exactly 8 months for the license to come through.

Then I bought my gun, brought the paper to the pistol clerk, but could not pick up the gun until they mailed me the new license with the pistol data printed on it (3-1/2 weeks). So the total was nearly 17 months.

Your five month wait sounds like a sweatheart deal.

Congratulations. Your license is good anywhere in the state; mine is good everywhere but Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx.

holy wowzers, man. that's completely insane. i had a hard enough time waiting 5 months. 17 would have been unfathomable.

I have an unrestricted NYS pistol permit (8 months to get it btw), but it's not valid in NYC. It's almost like the city is it's own state. I hadn't heard that a NYC permit would be valid throughout the state. If you can only keep it in the house though, I suppose it's moot.

Originally Posted by MLB

I have an unrestricted NYS pistol permit (8 months to get it btw), but it's not valid in NYC. It's almost like the city is it's own state. I hadn't heard that a NYC permit would be valid throughout the state. If you can only keep it in the house though, I suppose it's moot.

New York City does issue carry concealed permits, but essentially they are only issued to private detectives and business owners who can show that they carry large amounts of cash (or diamonds). There used to be a minimum dollar amount that they considered sufficient to issue a carry permit. I have not kept up with that over the years.

When I got my Nassau County license there was a hierarcy for licenses. NY City licenses were good anywhere in the state; Nassau County permits were good anywhere in the state except New York City; Suffolk County permits were good anywhere in the state except Nassau County and New York City (includes all five boros). Other licences were good everywhere in the state except NY City, Nassau County and Suffolk County.

But when I went for my renewal I was advised that my license is good everywhere except NY City. This represents an expansion of the territory for me and I can now carry when I go back to visit friends on Long Island.

Originally Posted by Packard

But when I went for my renewal I was advised that my license is good everywhere except NY City. This represents an expansion of the territory for me and I can now carry when I go back to visit friends on Long Island.

Are you permitted to carry if your travel to Long Island goes through NYC?

Originally Posted by beararms

Are you permitted to carry if your travel to Long Island goes through NYC?

You are supposed to put the unloaded weapon in the trunk of the vehicle (no access from the driving compartment) and the ammo is supposed to be kept separate from the weapon.

A more interesting question is this: I drive home occasionally on the Hutchinson River Parkway ("The Hutch"). It starts out in the Bronx and ends up linking up to Route 684 taking it to Dutchess County. Midway it passes through Connecticut for about 5 miles. But those five miles have no exit and no entrance ramps. So you cannot access the state anywhere from the Hutch. So can I wear my weapon when I take the Hutch home? Don't know. I suppose if I'm in an accident on the Hutch in Connecticut and the Conneticut police respond to the accident I could be in trouble. As a rule I try to avoid using the Hutch for just that reason.

Does NY honor out of state permits? For example, if I have a carry permit for a handgun from another state, and I drive to NY, am I ok so long as the weapon is kept in the trunk, separated from the ammo, and the weapon is carried directly into a home?

Obviously I'd look up the rules before doing this, but just checking if anyone knows the answer off the top of their head.

You can apply for a "non-resident permit". Your current permit along with an NRA safety course certificate will allow you to apply. Not all jurisdictions will allow this, however.

You can travel through NY, as I understand the law. Interstate commerce laws prevail. So if you wanted to travel to New Hampshire or Vermont to attend a Sig Sauer training course you can transport your weapons unloaded in a locked box in your trunk and you do not need any permit for that. (But check with someone knowledgeable on this before doing so.)