New York City Firearm Possession Lawyer
Generally speaking, the license to carry a firearm is the most difficult license to get in New York because it allows a person to have it on their person rather than just at their home, place of business, or transporting it between the two.
The person needs to be very careful about what they do with that gun because the law is very strict about what is considered the criminal use of a firearm. It can be critical to speak with a New York firearm possession lawyer right away. An experienced gun lawyer can help you fight the charges against you.
Process to Legally Purchase a Gun
As a New York firearm possession attorney knows, any potential gun owner must register the gun at the time of purchase. The permit allows the person to lawfully possess or buy a gun, but when they go to a gun dealer to buy the gun, they should register it at the time of purchase.
Registering a gun in New York is mandatory and should be done at the time of purchase. If a gun turns up missing, it needs to be reported missing immediately because if the gun is registered to somebody in New York and is stolen and used to commit a crime, but was never reported stolen, then the lawful owner can get in very serious trouble for being the owner of the gun used to commit a crime.
Required Documentation to Hold a Firearm
There is a registry that New York State keeps related to the purchase which will go through the vendor, as well as the serial number of the gun, so that if a person is stopped with a gun outside the five boroughs where they can lawfully possess it and they have their permit.
Law enforcement can run the serial number of the gun right there and check their database to see that it is registered to the person who is holding the permit in front of them. The documentation that is generally required to be carried is the permit which usually fits in a person’s wallet; there is no specific paperwork that needs to be carried regarding registration.
Reasons to Possess a Firearm
There are a lot of different reasons to purchase a gun. Legal gun owners often enjoy target shooting, hunting, protection, and collecting. The antique muskets or civil war era guns which people collect, if they are capable of firing a shot, they are still considered a firearm. Even in a collector’s unit, it needs to be handled in the same way as if someone were buying a brand new Glock handgun. There are a number of permissible, lawful uses for firearms in New York, but those are the main ones.
What Not to Do as a Legal Gun Owner
Even if someone lawfully possesses a firearm and cannot be arrested and prosecuted for the criminal possession of a weapon, criminal use of a firearm has nothing to do with whether or not someone lawfully owns the firearm but has to do with how they use it.
A person who lawfully possesses a firearm needs to continue to keep in mind that any act that they use the firearm for can still potentially be prosecuted if it falls outside of what the penal law allows them to do.
Threatening people with a gun or showing the firearm to somebody during an argument, is illegal. Even mentioning the fact that someone has a gun and would be willing to use it against somebody is illegal.
Reach Out to a New York City Firearm Possession Attorney
For more information on the legal expectations of handling a gun, contact a New York firearm possession lawyer. Our experienced team is prepared to fight your charges and defend your rights.