Pistol Permit Holders Need to Re-certify Their Permit
Putnam County Clerk Michael C. Bartolotti wants to ensure that all pistol permit holders check the issue date on their permit and protect their rights by re-certifying in a timely manner. Bartolotti states that “if your New York State Pistol Permit was issued before January 15, 2013, as per the NY SAFE Act, you must re-certify to New York State Police prior to January 31. If the issue date of your permit is after January 15, 2013, you must re-certify five years from said date of issue.”
Though the Law states that the New York State Police was to send letters to all pistol permit holders, it is imperative that all pistol license holders re-certify their permit in accordance with the law even if they did not receive a letter.
Licensees can re-certify their permit online or in Paper form. To re-certify, the license holder must provide some basic identifying information (name, address, pistol permit number, date of birth, etc.) and all handguns that they possess including handguns that are co-registered with another licensee.
The New York State Police has established a website where pistol licensees can re-certify online, download the hard copy form, access some frequently asked questions and check the status of the re-certification. https://www.troopers.ny.gov/Firearms/pistol_revolver_license_recertification.php
The responsibility of the permit holder will be fulfilled when the recertification form is submitted to the State Police. Should a licensee choose to re-certify via hard copy form, Bartolotti strongly encourages the form be mailed to State Police using some trackable format (i.e. Certified Mail).
Although the law states that the failure to re-certify within the prescribed period “shall act as a revocation of such license,” County Clerk Bartolotti was assured at a recent meeting that State Police will continue to accept re-certifications after the deadline; and, that their only goal is to get permit holders to re-certify. This re-certification was never intended to be a “gotcha” provision. Bartolotti stated that “I was proud to be a part of a small group of County Clerks who brought the concerns of our association regarding pistol permit re-certification to the New York State Police; and, am very pleased by the outcome of the meeting”.
Bartolotti states that “though you may disagree with re-certification, the best way to protect yourself legally is to just do it”.
If you have any questions, please contact the Putnam County Clerk’s Office at 845-808-1142.
