New York City, gun regs, places to shoot
I will be moving to New York City in a couple of weeks and while I will be leaving my firearms in Texas for at least the near foreseeable future, I was hoping some of the more NY knowledgeable here could educate me on a few things.
I know about the AWB and pistol regulations in New York as a state, but are there any special considerations for the city (manhattan/bronx area) - I ask because I also live part time in the Chicago area and while most of Illinois is relatively free Cook County has special considerations regarding assault weapons, mag capacities, etc.
Additionally, while I won't have my own guns up there, I would like to continue shooting. If anyone knows of any gun clubs in the area, or ranges that aren't too far out that'll rent I would appreciate it.
Any other tidbits of information that may be helpful would also be great.
Thanks,
-Dot.Com
NYC & firearms - it's a hot, stinky mess
As a recent escapee from the Democratic People's Republik, I am unfortunately quite familiar with all of the NYC pistol and long gun licensing and registration nonsense. I don't want to get crosswise with the mods here by sending M4C persons elsewhere on the internet, but there is a LOOONG NYC FAQ thread on another firearms website that more or less covers all of the do's and don'ts, procedures, expectations, big no-no's, etc. I used to post on there pretty regularly, and the quality of the information was generally quite good. Many (myself included) included links to the source documents for the NYC Admin Code, the Rules of the City of NY, the NYS Penal Code, relevant court decisions, etc. The thread itself is now ridiculously long, but the owner goes back and updates the FAQ part (the first few pages) periodically, so it's at least a good place to start. PM me and I'll message you back with the coordinates and a link.
A quick point on the prospects for bringing in NYS/NYC compliant long guns: I would recommend that you not bother making your existing long guns ban-compliant, particularly given that you can keep them in unmolested condition in TX. I also wouldn't want to tell anyone to voucher a firearm with their local NYPD precinct (no offense intended to MOS here on M4C). Just go to a NYC or NYC-area local gun shop (e.g., Nassau, Westchester or Dutchess County) and they'll have stuff on the racks (or available for order) that is already compliant. Suffice it to say that most or all of the fun long guns will be prohibited in NYC anyway, so you're probably looking at a short tube 870 or Mossberg for apartment defense.
Another quick point on handguns: as pointed out by Ed L., if you get a NYC pistol permit ("Premises-Residence" being the most likely flavor), you will not be able to take the pistol(s) "on" that license (listed by make, model, caliber and serial number on the back) out of the five boroughs of NYC. You can get NYPD to issue you the incorrectly titled "Hunting Authorization Card" (still printed on oblong green card stock) that would amend the terms of your pistol license to allow you to transport your unloaded and cased pistol(s) to and from an "authorized range" within the state (and to carry openly while afield hunting lawfully in NYS), but you still would be prohibited from taking it (them) out of state, even just for a moment. The HAC used to be available just for the asking, but it has been reported that the staff at 1 Police Plaza have (incorrectly) demanded to see valid hunting licenses from some making the request. YMMV.
Either way, I would strongly recommend that you leave all (or most) of your existing handguns with trusted relatives / friends (appropriately stored & secured) back in TX. There, they will not be subject to the NYPD/NYS registration scheme, or the accompanying restrictions on their movements outside of NYS. You won't be able to bring those handguns into NYS/NYC, but you'll at least have handguns that are yours (not "loaned...for a sporting purpose" under GCA '68) that you will otherwise be able to use lawfully (carry, transport interstate, defend yourself & others) outside of NYS. You'll be able to UPS / FedEx those pistols (and their evil, baby-killing standard capacity magazines) to yourself to attend training classes in other free(er) states, while your NYC pistol(s) languish unloaded in a locked container in your apartment....
Welcome to the Big Apple.
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Going in a different direction: OP do you HAVE to live within the boundaries of NYC? Living in a nearby non-NYC suburb (or commutable CT, for that matter) would give you much better Firearms Quality of Life (TM), but it would also allow you to avoid the NYC income tax (not NYS) on your NY source income, and might allow you to substantially lower your cost of living at the same time.