Moving to New York state from New Mexico

but get caught in a place with one and you'll lose your permit (and therefore your handguns).
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I've never heard this one. The signs have no force of law. They can ask you to leave and if you do not, then you are trespassing. But since you are concealed, you aren't going to get caught. Bars not a problem. Schools are no gun zones legally as are gov't buildings.

I've never talked to anyone who moved from out of state, so I don't know how that complicated the process. You do have to have three references and this may be an issue because they have to have known you for a certain period of time and I think they have to reside from the same county. These two restrictions may be a county thing, so Erie may do it different. Since judges change over the years, so does the process. Once you have a permit, carry is less restrictive than many other states.

Since you state that you have to move, just don't bring your guns into the state for now and you will have time to get the straight scoop from the county clerk where you move. The SAFE Act does require them to have access to your medical records. That sucks.

Magazines are limited to 10 rounds. If you have magazines that hold more than that, you can put a block in them to limit them, but you need to rivet the base or hot glue it to make it "not readily modified" to hold more than 10. Mine are blocked.

You can have an AR-15, but it has to meet certain restrictions. Stock is not adjustable, no thumbhole, no pistol grip.
 
GJ,

I think that's an Erie County thing. When I took the required handgun safety course, the instructor mentioned that the county judge has stated as much on multiple occasions. He's apparently very strict on who is allowed what kind of permit and if you don't follow the rules attached, wave goodbye to the permit and your pistols unless they're also on someone else's permit.

I would hope the rest of WNY is a little less draconian, but currently we're stuck with what we have in Erie County.
 
Thank you for confirming once again why I am happy to live in Vermont. Good luck with your move, but I can't imagine moving to a place like that when one loves guns and the shooting sports, especially after living somewhere with relatively unrestricted rights beforehand.
 
I grew up in NY. At the time guns there were at the stage that CA is at now. Today NY is much more restrictive. The advice about not bringing guns until you have the necessary paperwork is sound. I know the aforementioned mod advice was mentioned. That said the warnings are real and need to be heeded to avoid any infractions that could cost you.

Moving from NM to NY is like moving from Las Vegas to a dry county in the Bible Belt as far as guns go
 
the Safe Act does not require County Clerks to have access to your medical records when you apply for a permit. There is a check with the state to see if you have ever been involuntarily committed to a psychiatric institution or now with the safe act if you have ever been reported to be a danger to yourself or others by a mental health professional. they do not have access to your medical records or what medication you have been prescribed.
 
but get caught in a place with one and you'll lose your permit (and therefore your handguns).

I've never heard this one. The signs have no force of law.
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You don't have to break a law to get your permit yanked in NY. You could lose your permit (and so your guns) for any kind of infraction, unpaid parking ticket, water bill, literally anything, or nothing, BECAUSE it is up to the judge, entirely.

And, while most would, as far as I know, there is no requirement for a judge to have any justification stated. A single police report about how you violated a "no guns" sign would be enough for many judges to pull your permit, pending investigation, at least, and even though your may not be found criminally liable, such behavior could "exhibit a pattern of civil disobedience", and if that is the decision, kiss your permit (and handguns) good bye for the remainder of the time you are under NY jurisdiction.

AND, something to add, while they aren't fast, they are thorough. Nearly 30 years AFTER I HAD MOVED OUT OF STATE, Saratoga Co. contacted me, and informed me that since I was no longer a resident, my permit was no longer valid, and they wanted it BACK!!!

(yes, the permit paper itself, the wallet sized, unlaminated paper license they issued me in 1975). ALSO, they wanted to know where the guns listed on the permit were....

My reply to them wouldn't make it past TFL's language filters, so I won't quote it here, but "go pound sand" would be the polite gist of it.

The further you get from any major metro area, the more sane and reasonable about guns the people generally are, but the laws cover everyone, everywhere.

And you haven't seen winter until you have seen lake effect snow...just sayin..;) Plan to leave your guns in storage outside of NY for a couple years, minimum, I'd say is he prudent thing to do. Once you live in the area for a while, you will have a better idea of what is possible, and what is practical (not always the same thing).

OR consider selling your collection before you move, and replacing them when, and where allowed (like after you leave NY residence). Not good choices, I know, but those are really the only ones you have. You can thank generations of the politicians the good people of NY have elected to serve their interests...for that.
 
another thing I didn't see in the previous posts is that if you loose your pistol permit they will confiscate all your rifles and shotguns as well.
If it wasn't for family, grand kids and great grand kids I would move out of NYS in a minute.
 
New York State

Hi,

Give me a call or E-mail me if you want to talk about New York State Gun Laws. I live in Manhattan (New York City) as well as in Suffolk County. PM me for my phone and E-mail. Also have had an FFL since 1971.

Much of what you have read on here is true. Getting a pistol permit outside of New York City (5 burrows) or for cities with a population of over 1.0 million, is not hard if you have a clean record and friends who will vouch for you. There are some special issues in Buffalo, so when you relocate try to not live within the city limits. Outside of these locations you can get either a CW permit - Concealed Weapon (renews every 5 years) or in some counties a "Sportsmans Carry" permit. Make sure you are on the way to the range when you are in Suffolk or Nassua county when carrying concealed. :rolleyes:

In most of the rest of the state it is a full carry permit. The local judge does make the determination and some counties (surprisingly not all) require a firearms course be taken before issuance. The state allows the counties to have stricter laws then the state laws just like State Laws superseding, when stricter, federal law.

There are ways to get your handguns into storage. When I moved back to New York from Chicago I got my handguns stored until I was issued my permit again. Throw away all your high capacity magazines, or sell them or have restrictors put in them. If you can not shot what you want with a maximum of 7 rounds :D practice a lot! :cool:

Yes read the 2013/14 Safe Act as if you have certain long arms that qualify as "Assault Weapons" you will not be able to legally own them here.

In Manhattan you can own and shoot handguns, (there is a range within walking distance of my apartment in the West Village) but a carry permit is definitely almost impossible. With my FFL and New York address I was able to get one to protect inventory. Your can also own long arms, but all firearms will have to be registered with the firearms control group in Queens. Not a problem for you in Buffalo, but again, I would Google Buffalo, New York firearms laws as they have some added ones.

There is a gun club on Statin Island and a number of them on Long Island. In upstate New York, where you are going you will find a much more gun friendly atmosphere and lots of clubs and ranges.

Don't fret, think of all the new guns you will buy with that promotion. The taxes etc. are not as bad upstate as they are down here too.

Good Luck, Bob
 
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I moved from New York in 1981 and as far as firearms related issues it was the best thing I ever did. I still return to visit every now and then and would not even think about taking any firearms with me at all.

Having said that I believe the best thing for you to do is to sell all your guns before you make the move. Give yourself some time to live there and become familiar with the SAFE ACT restrictions and the local climate insofar as handguns and permits go. IF you should be awarded a permit you can purchase NY compliant guns at that time.

Storing your current guns in your previous state is nice but there is a fair chance you WILL NOT be able to get a New York permit, what do you do then?

Good luck on the move.
 
Good news of a sort.
Not all of Western New York is a blizzard area & jokes about both seasons (Winter & July 4th) are mostly exaggerations.:eek:

I lived in the Southern Tier of NYS, south of Buffalo, about 40 miles from Corning in the Finger lakes area. When Buffalo got 2 feet of lake effect snow we got 2 inches. So it's not all gloom & doom.:D
 
Rebs,

I know there have been a few news articles about the BPD (Buffalo) attempting to sieze longarms from families of deceased permit holders. However, authorities should not be able to sieze longarms just because a pistol permit has been revoked. That applies only to the pistols listed on the permit, if they are not also listed on someone else's permit. Now, what the authorities *can* do and what they actually *try* to do, as evidenced by BPD's recent antics, can sometimes differ in NY.

Ezmiraldo,

The area's not all bad, and I'll second Vt.birdhunter that the chicken wings are second to none, especially at Duff's. However, I have no intention of returning to WNY after my time in the military, and that's even with having most of my entire family still living there. The climate will be missed (I'm crazy, I like snow), but the government, economy, taxes, and (to make this relevant) gun laws will not be. NYS government is too dominated ny NYC for any of this to change anytime soon.

If one enjoys shooting sports and gun ownership in general, I would avoid my homestate like the plague. If you are certain about going through with the move, we will happily help you understand the maze of regulations, and you will find that it's not impossible, just much more difficult and drawn-out than the rest of the US.
 
you guys are killing me with all this info... is there any good news?
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Its the safest place to live because its so difficult to obtain firearms:cool::cool: couldn't resist. I being a former NYC born and raised person then making a worse choice moving to Taxachussetts had had enough and moved to FLA. 44 amp has given sound advice that in my opinion I would follow to the letter. just remember violating NYS gun laws and the guns will be gone along with your right to firearm ownership for good. Good luck with the new opportunities that await you.
 
I would attribute any discrepancies in stories about NY to different rules in different counties.

Now, another thought about what to do with your guns. If you keep them you can have them stored at a LGS and when you can once again have them, they will ship them to an FFL in Buffalo. I know of only one LGS in Buffalo, not that there aren't more. It's the Buffalo Gun Center which is near the airport.

My actual other thought was that you could sell them so you can buy a snow blower and/or snow tires. Parts of Buffalo got seven feet of snow two weeks ago. Fortunately, this doesn't happen very often and is restricted to certain areas because it's caused by lake effect snow.
 
thanks, guys! your encouragement, advice, offer to help and words of warning are much appreciated. yeah, i'm feeling safer already knowing that i'm moving to an area with restricted gun laws ["slam head on table"]... ;) i think i will be selling all i have and then buying again, in a new place.

are there any good gun clubs and shooting ranges (preferably outdoor ones, but indoor ones are good, too) withing 50 mile radius of buffalo?
 
I can't vouch for any in Buffalo and don't know of anyone from Buffalo that shoots. There is this one: http://www.niagaragunrange.com/

My gun club is about 60 miles east of Buffalo. We have both IDPA and USPSA. There are a couple of others near Rochester. Go here: http://wheretoshoot.org/Find_Range/index.asp and enter zip code 14201 and 60 miles (or whatever) and it will give you a list. For 60 miles the list is extensive. There are 25 within 20 miles. You'll find something.

There is also a NY firearms forum: http://nyfirearms.com
 
Did not see a mention of the OP's marital status, but if married you may also want to get the wife permitted, as long as you are going to the trouble.
 
You could lose your permit (and so your guns) for any kind of infraction, unpaid parking ticket, water bill, literally anything, or nothing, BECAUSE it is up to the judge
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I have never heard of having your permit rescinded for minor infractions. That doesn't mean it has never happened, but it's not something to worry about.

My wife and I have all our pistols on each other's permits. I certainly recommend this.
 
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