The firearm law library
Each entry opens with a short answer written to stand on its own, then works through the statute in sequence. Claims appear in bordered blocks with the citation and a link to the primary source underneath. Where a provision is enjoined, contested, or unsettled, that is stated on the page rather than buried.
Carrying
What a license lets you do, and the two rules that decide where it stops.
Where you cannot carry a firearm in New York City
New York bars carrying a firearm in twenty categories of 'sensitive location' — including government buildings, health care facilities, places of worship, schools, parks, libraries, public transit and the subway, bars, theaters and stadiums, polling places, protests, and Times Square. A valid New York carry license is not a defense.
Read the entry Penal Law §265.01-dCarrying on private property in New York
New York's 'restricted locations' rule made it a class E felony to carry a firearm onto private property unless the owner affirmatively permitted it by signage or express consent — reversing the ordinary default. In Christian v.
Read the entry Penal Law §400.00(2) · 38 RCNY §5-23New York handgun license types, explained
New York issues distinct handgun licenses. A premises license authorizes possession at one specified place — a dwelling or a business — and does not authorize carrying in public.
Read the entry Penal Law §400.00(6) · §265.45Transporting a handgun in New York
New York has no general 'unloaded and locked' transport exemption for handguns — handgun possession requires a New York license. A premises licensee may transport the licensed handgun to another of the licensee's dwellings or places of business, to a shooting range or competition, or to an area where the licensee may lawfully possess it, provided the handgun is unloaded and carried in a locked container with the ammunition carried separately.
Read the entryGetting licensed
Eligibility, training, and keeping the license alive.
Who can get a handgun license in New York City
New York requires a handgun license applicant to be at least twenty-one, to be of good moral character, and to be free of a range of statutory disqualifiers — including any felony or 'serious offense' conviction, unlawful controlled substance use, certain involuntary commitments, and a prior license revocation. Concealed carry applicants face additional requirements: an in-person interview, four character references, eighteen hours of training, and a five-year bar for certain misdemeanor convictions..
Read the entry Penal Law §400.00(19)The eighteen-hour training requirement
Before New York issues or renews a concealed carry license, the applicant must complete an eighteen-hour course approved by the Division of Criminal Justice Services: at least sixteen hours of in-person classroom instruction and at least two hours of live-fire range training. The applicant must score at least eighty percent on a written test and demonstrate live-fire proficiency.
Read the entry Penal Law §400.00(10)Renewal and recertification
Both the three-year and five-year figures are correct, for different licenses. Concealed carry licenses issued under Penal Law §400.00(2)(f) recertify every three years; all other licenses recertify every five.
Read the entryOwning
Purchase, storage, and the rules that apply after the license is issued.
Buying a handgun once you are licensed
In New York City a licensee may not take possession of a handgun without prior written authorization from the NYPD License Division. The authorization is valid for thirty days and must be presented to the dealer.
Read the entry Penal Law §265.45 · NYC Admin. Code §10-312Safe storage law in New York City
Two rules stack in New York City. Under Penal Law §265.45, anyone who owns or lawfully keeps a firearm and lives with a person under eighteen, a person subject to an extreme risk protection order, or a person prohibited from possessing a firearm must keep it locked in a safe storage depository or disabled by a gun locking device when it is not in their immediate possession or control.
Read the entry NYC Admin. Code §10-303Rifles and shotguns in New York City
New York City requires a separate NYPD permit to possess or purchase a rifle or shotgun — a requirement that exists nowhere else in New York State. The permit is valid for three years and subject to automatic renewal, and each long gun must additionally be registered.
Read the entryConsequences and special cases
What goes wrong, and the categories that follow different rules.
Penalties for unlicensed gun possession in New York City
Carrying a loaded, unlicensed handgun on a New York City street is criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree under Penal Law §265.03(3) — a class C violent felony carrying a determinate sentence with a three-and-a-half year mandatory minimum and a fifteen-year maximum. Possessing an unlicensed handgun unloaded is criminal possession of a firearm under §265.01-b, a non-violent class E felony.
Read the entry Penal Law §265.20 · §400.00Out-of-state permits and New York reciprocity
New York recognizes no out-of-state pistol permit or concealed carry license — there is no reciprocity statute. A handgun may be possessed in New York only under a license issued under Penal Law §400.00, and a license issued elsewhere in New York State is still not valid inside New York City without a special permit from the NYC police commissioner.
Read the entry CPLR Article 63-AExtreme risk protection orders
New York's red flag law lets a police officer, district attorney, family or household member, school administrator, or a health care practitioner who has treated the respondent in the previous six months petition a court for an extreme risk protection order. A temporary order issues on probable cause; a final order requires clear and convincing evidence and runs up to one year.
Read the entry 18 U.S.C. §926CRetired law enforcement and LEOSA
Under the federal Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act, a qualified retired law enforcement officer who meets the statute's conditions — including at least ten years of service or separation due to a service-connected disability, separation in good standing, and current annual firearms qualification — may carry a concealed firearm, subject to the statute's limits and to state laws on where carry is prohibited. New York's sensitive-location statute separately exempts qualified retired law enforcement officers..
Read the entryThis library covers New York State law as it applies in New York City, plus the City's own rules. It does not cover federal prosecutions, hunting regulation, dealer licensing, or the law of self-defense. It is legal information, not legal advice — for your own situation, speak with a New York–licensed attorney.
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