Who can get a handgun license in New York City

An applicant must be twenty-one years of age or older, unless honorably discharged from the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force or Coast Guard, or from the National Guard of the State of New York, in which case the age restriction does not apply.

An applicant must be of good moral character, which the statute defines as having the essential character, temperament and judgment necessary to be entrusted with a weapon and to use it only in a manner that does not endanger oneself or others.

An applicant must not have been convicted anywhere of a felony or a serious offense, and must not be the subject of an outstanding warrant of arrest for a felony or serious offense.

An applicant must not be a fugitive from justice.

An applicant must not be an unlawful user of, or addicted to, any controlled substance as defined in 21 U.S.C. §802.

A non-citizen applicant must not be unlawfully in the United States and must not have been admitted under a nonimmigrant visa, subject to the exception at 18 U.S.C. §922(y)(2).

An applicant must not have been discharged from the Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions, and must not have renounced United States citizenship.

An applicant must state whether he or she has ever suffered any mental illness.

An applicant must not have been involuntarily committed under the Mental Hygiene Law articles 9 or 15, the Criminal Procedure Law article 730 or §330.20, Correction Law §402 or §508, or Family Court Act §322.2 or §353.4; must not be civilly confined under Mental Hygiene Law article 10; and must not be the subject of a report under Mental Hygiene Law §9.46.

An applicant must not have had a license revoked, and must not be under a suspension or ineligibility order issued under Criminal Procedure Law §530.14 or Family Court Act §842-a.

An applicant must not have had a guardian appointed based on a determination that the applicant lacks the mental capacity to manage his or her own affairs.

For a concealed carry license, an applicant must not have been convicted within five years before the application of assault in the third degree, misdemeanor driving while intoxicated, or menacing in the third degree.

For a concealed carry license, an applicant must meet in person with the licensing officer for an interview and must submit: contact information for a spouse or domestic partner and other adults residing in the home, including adult children, and whether any minors reside there; the names and contact information of no fewer than four character references who can attest to the applicant's good moral character and that the applicant has not engaged in acts or made statements suggesting a likelihood of harm to self or others; certification of completion of the required training; and other information reasonably necessary to review the application.

New York City requires a minimum of four character references, of whom at least two must be non-family members — a stricter rule than the bare statute.

The good-moral-character standard, the four-character-reference requirement, the in-person interview and the training requirement were all upheld when the Second Circuit vacated the injunctions against them.

The statutory requirement that a concealed carry applicant disclose a list of former and current social media accounts from the past three years is subject to a March 17, 2026 consent injunction in Antonyuk v. James, and New York agreed that the State Police application form would not include social media language. The requirement was enjoined, not repealed.

Sealed and dismissed arrests are still disclosed on a New York firearms application.