I've always thought that some counties require the applicant to purchase a firearm at the time of application and wait for the approved permit to pick it up. That's just rumor though, here's the law in question, I believe. I don't have time to read the whole thing right now.
§ 400.00 Licenses to carry, possess, repair and dispose of firearms.
1. Eligibility. No license shall be issued or renewed pursuant to this
section except by the licensing officer, and then only after
investigation and finding that all statements in a proper application
for a license are true. No license shall be issued or renewed except for
an applicant (a) twenty-one years of age or older, provided, however,
that where such applicant has been honorably discharged from the United
States army, navy, marine corps, air force or coast guard, or the
national guard of the state of New York, no such age restriction shall
apply; (b) of good moral character; (c) who has not been convicted
anywhere of a felony or a serious offense; (d) who has stated whether he
or she has ever suffered any mental illness or been confined to any
hospital or institution, public or private, for mental illness; (e) who
has not had a license revoked or who is not under a suspension or
ineligibility order issued pursuant to the provisions of section 530.14
of the criminal procedure law or section eight hundred forty-two-a of
the family court act; (f) in the county of Westchester, who has
successfully completed a firearms safety course and test as evidenced by
a certificate of completion issued in his or her name and endorsed and
affirmed under the penalties of perjury by a duly authorized instructor,
except that: (i) persons who are honorably discharged from the United
States army, navy, marine corps or coast guard, or of the national guard
of the state of New York, and produce evidence of official qualification
in firearms during the term of service are not required to have
completed those hours of a firearms safety course pertaining to the safe
use, carrying, possession, maintenance and storage of a firearm; and
(ii) persons who were licensed to possess a pistol or revolver prior to
the effective date of this paragraph are not required to have completed
a firearms safety course and test; and (g) concerning whom no good cause
exists for the denial of the license. No person shall engage in the
business of gunsmith or dealer in firearms unless licensed pursuant to
this section. An applicant to engage in such business shall also be a
citizen of the United States, more than twenty-one years of age and
maintain a place of business in the city or county where the license is
issued. For such business, if the applicant is a firm or partnership,
each member thereof shall comply with all of the requirements set forth
in this subdivision and if the applicant is a corporation, each officer
thereof shall so comply.
2. Types of licenses. A license for gunsmith or dealer in firearms
shall be issued to engage in such business. A license for a pistol or
revolver, other than an assault weapon or a disguised gun, shall be
issued to (a) have and possess in his dwelling by a householder; (b)
have and possess in his place of business by a merchant or storekeeper;
(c) have and carry concealed while so employed by a messenger employed
by a banking institution or express company; (d) have and carry
concealed by a justice of the supreme court in the first or second
judicial departments, or by a judge of the New York city civil court or
the New York city criminal court; (e) have and carry concealed while so
employed by a regular employee of an institution of the state, or of any
county, city, town or village, under control of a commissioner of
correction of the city or any warden, superintendent or head keeper of
any state prison, penitentiary, workhouse, county jail or other
institution for the detention of persons convicted or accused of crime
or held as witnesses in criminal cases, provided that application is
made therefor by such commissioner, warden, superintendent or head
keeper; (f) have and carry concealed, without regard to employment or
place of possession, by any person when proper cause exists for the
issuance thereof; and (g) have, possess, collect and carry antique
pistols which are defined as follows: (i) any single shot, muzzle
loading pistol with a matchlock, flintlock, percussion cap, or similar
type of ignition system manufactured in or before l898, which is not
designed for using rimfire or conventional centerfire fixed ammunition;
and (ii) any replica of any pistol described in clause (i) hereof if
such replica--
(1) is not designed or redesigned for using rimfire or conventional
centerfire fixed ammunition, or
(2) uses rimfire or conventional centerfire fixed ammunition which is
no longer manufactured in the United States and which is not readily
available in the ordinary channels of commercial trade.
3. Applications. (a) Applications shall be made and renewed, in the
case of a license to carry or possess a pistol or revolver, to the
licensing officer in the city or county, as the case may be, where the
applicant resides, is principally employed or has his principal place of
business as merchant or storekeeper; and, in the case of a license as
gunsmith or dealer in firearms, to the licensing officer where such
place of business is located. Blank applications shall, except in the
city of New York, be approved as to form by the superintendent of state
police. An application shall state the full name, date of birth,
residence, present occupation of each person or individual signing the
same, whether or not he is a citizen of the United States, whether or
not he complies with each requirement for eligibility specified in
subdivision one of this section and such other facts as may be required
to show the good character, competency and integrity of each person or
individual signing the application. An application shall be signed and
verified by the applicant. Each individual signing an application shall
submit one photograph of himself and a duplicate for each required copy
of the application. Such photographs shall have been taken within thirty
days prior to filing the application. In case of a license as gunsmith
or dealer in firearms, the photographs submitted shall be two inches
square, and the application shall also state the previous occupation of
each individual signing the same and the location of the place of such
business, or of the bureau, agency, subagency, office or branch office
for which the license is sought, specifying the name of the city, town
or village, indicating the street and number and otherwise giving such
apt description as to point out reasonably the location thereof. In such
case, if the applicant is a firm, partnership or corporation, its name,
date and place of formation, and principal place of business shall be
stated. For such firm or partnership, the application shall be signed
and verified by each individual composing or intending to compose the
same, and for such corporation, by each officer thereof.
(b) Application for an exemption under paragraph seven-b of
subdivision a of section 265.20 of this chapter. Each applicant desiring
to obtain the exemption set forth in paragraph seven-b of subdivision a
of section 265.20 of this chapter shall make such request in writing of
the licensing officer with whom his application for a license is filed,
at the time of filing such application. Such request shall include a
signed and verified statement by the person authorized to instruct and
supervise the applicant, that has met with the applicant and that he has
determined that, in his judgment, said applicant does not appear to be
or poses a threat to be, a danger to himself or to others. He shall
include a copy of his certificate as an instructor in small arms, if he
is required to be certified, and state his address and telephone number.
He shall specify the exact location by name, address and telephone
number where such instruction will take place. Such licensing officer
shall, no later than ten business days after such filing, request the
duly constituted police authorities of the locality where such
application is made to investigate and ascertain any previous criminal
record of the applicant pursuant to subdivision four of this section.
Upon completion of this investigation, the police authority shall report
the results to the licensing officer without unnecessary delay. The
licensing officer shall no later than ten business days after the
receipt of such investigation, determine if the applicant has been
previously denied a license, been convicted of a felony, or been
convicted of a serious offense, and either approve or disapprove the
applicant for exemption purposes based upon such determinations. If the
applicant is approved for the exemption, the licensing officer shall
notify the appropriate duly constituted police authorities and the
applicant. Such exemption shall terminate if the application for the
license is denied, or at any earlier time based upon any information
obtained by the licensing officer or the appropriate police authorities
which would cause the license to be denied. The applicant and
appropriate police authorities shall be notified of any such
terminations.
4. Investigation. Before a license is issued or renewed, there shall
be an investigation of all statements required in the application by the
duly constituted police authorities of the locality where such
application is made. For that purpose, the records of the appropriate
office of the department of mental hygiene concerning previous or
present mental illness of the applicant shall be available for
inspection by the investigating officer of the police authority. In
order to ascertain any previous criminal record, the investigating
officer shall take the fingerprints and physical descriptive data in
quadruplicate of each individual by whom the application is signed and
verified. Two copies of such fingerprints shall be taken on standard
fingerprint cards eight inches square, and one copy may be taken on a
card supplied for that purpose by the federal bureau of investigation;
provided, however, that in the case of a corporate applicant that has
already been issued a dealer in firearms license and seeks to operate a
firearm dealership at a second or subsequent location, the original
fingerprints on file may be used to ascertain any criminal record in the
second or subsequent application unless any of the corporate officers
have changed since the prior application, in which case the new
corporate officer shall comply with procedures governing an initial
application for such license. When completed, one standard card shall be
forwarded to and retained by the division of criminal justice services
in the executive department, at Albany. A search of the files of such
division and written notification of the results of the search to the
investigating officer shall be made without unnecessary delay.
Thereafter, such division shall notify the licensing officer and the
executive department, division of state police, Albany, of any criminal
record of the applicant filed therein subsequent to the search of its
files. A second standard card, or the one supplied by the federal bureau
of investigation, as the case may be, shall be forwarded to that bureau
at Washington with a request that the files of the bureau be searched
and notification of the results of the search be made to the
investigating police authority. The failure or refusal of the federal
bureau of investigation to make the fingerprint check provided for in
this section shall not constitute the sole basis for refusal to issue a
permit pursuant to the provisions of this section. Of the remaining two
fingerprint cards, one shall be filed with the executive department,
division of state police, Albany, within ten days after issuance of the
license, and the other remain on file with the investigating police
authority. No such fingerprints may be inspected by any person other
than a peace officer, who is acting pursuant to his special duties, or a
police officer, except on order of a judge or justice of a court of
record either upon notice to the licensee or without notice, as the
judge or justice may deem appropriate. Upon completion of the
investigation, the police authority shall report the results to the
licensing officer without unnecessary delay.
4-a. Processing of license applications. Applications for licenses
shall be accepted for processing by the licensing officer at the time of
presentment. Except upon written notice to the applicant specifically
stating the reasons for any delay, in each case the licensing officer
shall act upon any application for a license pursuant to this section
within six months of the date of presentment of such an application to
the appropriate authority. Such delay may only be for good cause and
with respect to the applicant. In acting upon an application, the
licensing officer shall either deny the application for reasons
specifically and concisely stated in writing or grant the application
and issue the license applied for.
4-b. Westchester county firearms safety course certificate. In the
county of Westchester, at the time of application, the licensing officer
to which the license application is made shall provide a copy of the
safety course booklet to each license applicant. Before such license is
issued, such licensing officer shall require that the applicant submit a
certificate of successful completion of a firearms safety course and
test issued in his or her name and endorsed and affirmed under the
penalties of perjury by a duly authorized instructor.
5. Filing of approved applications. The application for any license,
if granted, shall be filed by the licensing officer with the clerk of
the county of issuance, except that in the city of New York and, in the
counties of Nassau and Suffolk, the licensing officer shall designate
the place of filing in the appropriate division, bureau or unit of the
police department thereof, and in the county of Suffolk the county clerk
is hereby authorized to transfer all records or applications relating to
firearms to the licensing authority of that county. The name and address
of any person to whom an application for any license has been granted
shall be a public record. Upon application by a licensee who has changed
his place of residence such records or applications shall be transferred
to the appropriate officer at the licensee's new place of residence. A
duplicate copy of such application shall be filed by the licensing
officer in the executive department, division of state police, Albany,
within ten days after issuance of the license. Nothing in this
subdivision shall be construed to change the expiration date or term of
such licenses if otherwise provided for in law.