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Lawmakers want delay on gun permit deadline
GOVERNMENT: About 50,000 pistol permit holders haven't recertified in Niagara-Erie.
Local lawmakers are urging Gov. Andrew Cuomo to delay the Jan. 31 deadline for pistol permit recertification, warning that hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who've yet to re-certify could face criminal charges otherwise.
Under the New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act, gun owners who acquired their pistol permits prior to the act's Jan. 15, 2013 passage have to re-certify before Jan. 31, 2018 — and every five years thereafter.
But civil officials say many pistol permit holders remain unaware of the requirement.
Nearly 20,000 pistol permit holders in Niagara County have not yet re-certified, according to County Clerk Joseph Jastrzemski. And, according to a spokesperson for Clerk Michael "Mickey" Kearns, about 30,000 permit holders in Erie County have yet to re-certify.
"We're going to turn tens of thousands of New Yorkers into criminals overnight," state Sen. Rob Ortt said. "I've never heard that as a reason for passing the SAFE Act. ... And that is exactly what this will do if we don't have a delay."
Ortt, along with Jastrzemski and state Assembly members Michael Norris and Angelo Morinello, held a press conference Thursday to call on Cuomo to issue an executive order delaying the re-certification deadline.
Rather than set a new deadline months or weeks from now, Ortt said Cuomo should withhold the deadline until far more handgun owners have re-certified.
Many of these gun owners are elderly and received their permits decades ago. Jastrzemski gave an example of a Korean War veteran who received his pistol permit in 1964 and assumed it was good for life.
"When they got their permits, years ago, they were told their permits were for life, and now they have to recertify," Ortt said. "And they were given no paperwork, no notice. In fact, some of them were learning about it when the county clerk was telling them about it at these town halls."
If the Jan. 31 deadline remains in place, most of those are likely to lose their pistol permits, barring some massive, last-minute recertification rush. Those gun owners could face a misdemeanor or felony charge if they keep their pistols after the deadline.
More at ...
Lawmakers want delay on gun permit deadline
GOVERNMENT: About 50,000 pistol permit holders haven't recertified in Niagara-Erie.
Local lawmakers are urging Gov. Andrew Cuomo to delay the Jan. 31 deadline for pistol permit recertification, warning that hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who've yet to re-certify could face criminal charges otherwise.
Under the New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act, gun owners who acquired their pistol permits prior to the act's Jan. 15, 2013 passage have to re-certify before Jan. 31, 2018 — and every five years thereafter.
But civil officials say many pistol permit holders remain unaware of the requirement.
Nearly 20,000 pistol permit holders in Niagara County have not yet re-certified, according to County Clerk Joseph Jastrzemski. And, according to a spokesperson for Clerk Michael "Mickey" Kearns, about 30,000 permit holders in Erie County have yet to re-certify.
"We're going to turn tens of thousands of New Yorkers into criminals overnight," state Sen. Rob Ortt said. "I've never heard that as a reason for passing the SAFE Act. ... And that is exactly what this will do if we don't have a delay."
Ortt, along with Jastrzemski and state Assembly members Michael Norris and Angelo Morinello, held a press conference Thursday to call on Cuomo to issue an executive order delaying the re-certification deadline.
Rather than set a new deadline months or weeks from now, Ortt said Cuomo should withhold the deadline until far more handgun owners have re-certified.
Many of these gun owners are elderly and received their permits decades ago. Jastrzemski gave an example of a Korean War veteran who received his pistol permit in 1964 and assumed it was good for life.
"When they got their permits, years ago, they were told their permits were for life, and now they have to recertify," Ortt said. "And they were given no paperwork, no notice. In fact, some of them were learning about it when the county clerk was telling them about it at these town halls."
If the Jan. 31 deadline remains in place, most of those are likely to lose their pistol permits, barring some massive, last-minute recertification rush. Those gun owners could face a misdemeanor or felony charge if they keep their pistols after the deadline.
More at ...
Lawmakers want delay on gun permit deadline
