Who Can’t Legally Own a Gun in New York State?

The laws in New York State seem to change often with regards to who can own what type of gun, what kind of stock the gun can have and even how many bullets can be in your gun at any given time.

You might take it as a constitutional right that you own or are legally allowed to own a gun (after going through the permit process) in New York State, but who cannot own a gun in New York?

Who cannot own a gun in New York State?

There are a few people that cannot legally get a gun permit or carry a gun in New York State. Who are those people? People under the age of 21 cannot legally get a firearms license. Firearms license is the sort of new way that New York State refers to the term gun permit or pistol permit. You also need to be a resident of NYS, not a resident? You can't get a NYS permit. 

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Ok, so you can't be under the age of 21. Who else can't own a gun in New York State?

To be able to legally own a gun, you also cannot have had a felony, or a domestic violence arrest. In addition to these things, you 'must also be of good moral character.'  When you apply for your 'firearms license' you will also need to have valid photo-ID, you will also need to get a few character references.

So, do you meet all of the above qualifications? Are you over 21, have no felonies, or other arrests, you have people who can vouch for your character? If you think that you are eligible to obtain a firearm license and want to go through the permitting process, your first stop should be the sheriff's office in the New York State County that you live in.

How long does it take to get a pistol permit in New York State?

When I got my permit years ago, it took about 8 months to get the permit. The waiting time that you can expect depends on how many applications are in front of yours but expect it to take anywhere from four months to 1 year.