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Rochester Pistol Permits

7K views 25 replies 8 participants last post by  RochPersDef 
#1 ·
Hey I was wondering if anyone here has gone through the process of getting a pistol permit in the Rochester area? I enjoy shooting pistols but have been on the fence about getting one due the 2nd amendment being "vague" by many government and of course Rochester's wonderful laws.

Now that there are no questions about the 2nd amendment I am submitting my application. Just wondering if there are any little surprises I should be aware of that might come up in the process.

I want to get a carry permit so I will be able to go hunting with the pistol. I have heard some guys say that they don't like to issue that and lots of times will only issue an on premises permit. Any truth to that?

Thanks for any info.
 
#2 ·
When you apply there is a check box for what you are applying for, a premises permit or a carry permit. The premises permit is for a store owner and people like that. The carry permit is what you want to check off.

First question I have for you is do you live in Rochester or do you live outside of the city elsewhere in Monroe county?

If you live in Rochester the city police handle the application and I don't know much about them.

If you live outside of the city then the Monroe County sheriff handles the application. I know quite a few people who have gotten their permit through the sheriff over the past couple of years and not one of them has been a restricted permit so you can carry anywhere. If you aren't familiar with restrictions, some counties stamp or write on your permit when they issue it and it might say something like "for traveling to, from and participating in hunting, target shooting, hiking and camping only". I know Oneida county does that. Having no restrictions on your permit means you are allowed to carry your pistol concealed anywhere that it's legal to carry, so most anywhere except schools/campuses, courts, city/county offices and any city, county or state park in Monroe county.

The sheriff will call all of your references and ask questions like have they ever seen you get angry, what your hobbies are, have they ever seen you get drunk, etc... They may also call your spouse if you have one and ask them if they know you are applying and if they have any issue with it. They'll call you and ask you questions about your application. If you put hunting as a reason they ask what you are going to hunt. They asked me what I do to relieve stress. I told them I get out and do things like fly fishing. They ask if you attended the free Monroe county gun owners class which you get info about with your application. I hadn't attended it but told him I had gone through the NRA basic handgun course. He told me the county class is more about laws and ownership and less about shooting techniques. I told him I would look into it and attend but never did.

The most important part of the application is where they ask what your reasons are for applying. I wrote "hunting, target/competition and personal protection." I was told by several people to make sure personal protection is on there so they don't restrict it and that the more legitimate reasons you write the better. Mine came back without any restrictions so it worked for me.
 
#3 ·
I concur with darkvibe, my experiences were about the same; I reside in monroe co outside the city of rochester. I put "target shooting, hunting, protection, and all other lawful purposes" for my reason for owning. I attended both the NRA basic pistol course and the free monroe co class, which was something I was asked about by my investigator. They called ALL my references and put heavy consideration on what those people said about me. They also asked if I owned a gun safe, which I did. They also asked who in my household would have access to my firearms. The investigator was very friendly and cool to talk to, she never made me feel persecuted or weird for applying. My permit came back about 6 months later unrestricted.

I do know of one person who was denied their application due to some comments they made over the phone to the investigator, such as wanting an M16 and "training their kids to shoot like the army does".
 
#5 ·
I am in Oswego county and when i applied for my permit it was pretty easy. They called all my references. Things to know is go to the state police to get your finger prints, from what i have been told they will do it for free. Wish i would have known that. On my permit i have a unrestricted lic, but my sister and one friend got there after me and they had no stamp stating it was unrestricted. But it was a couple of years after i got mine, so who knows if they r still giving out unrestricted licences. If u get a lic does that mean u can travel outside of your county?
 
#6 ·
Thanks for all the info.

Well I live in Chili, outside the city but my address lists Rochester as my city. Is that still considered the city or are suburbs not considered the city?

Where I work there is a Sheriff's station right across the road, maybe I should stop there and ask some questions. I just would like to have all my ducks in a row and get it done right the first time.

Thanks for all the responses.
 
#9 ·
bontadgm said:
Thanks for all the info.

Well I live in Chili, outside the city but my address lists Rochester as my city. Is that still considered the city or are suburbs not considered the city?
I live in Greece but my mailing address is "Rochester, NY". You'll go through the county sheriff. You should have no problem getting an unrestricted permit as long as you have no blemishes on your record.

When you get your permit it comes with an information packet. You probably don't need to talk to the sheriff if you don't want to. It's all self explanatory except for where you list what you want it for. If you do talk to them you could talk to someone who is anti gun like the deputy that did my fingerprints. He had some choice comments about "how we don't need all of these guns on the streets" because there were 4 of us waiting for prints. The guy behind me in line set him straight saying how it's not us permit holders that he needs to worry about. He didn't say anything more after that. You might be better off just talking to the people who have gone through the process already.

I applied for mine in September 2005 and got my permit in May of 2006. I remember it because I turned in my app the same day Rochester had that huge rain storm that flooded all of the underpasses on 490. I know some other people who have gotten theirs since then and they said that nothing has changed from my experience.
 
#10 ·
Thanks Darkvibe,

Sounds like it should be pretty straight forward for the most part. I should have the packet by Tuesday. I didn't feel like fighting down town so I sent for it.

It is too bad that there are even ignorant law enforcement officials too. It is amazing how much ignorance there is out there about guns. I think it is sad that that people would rather be victims than have the ability to defend themselves.

Thanks again
 
#13 ·
Hey all.

I'm pretty well versed in the permit stuff. If you have any questions, I'd be more than willing to help advise or point you in a direction.

Just make sure you check all the boxes, write "For all lawful purposes" and have the best of the best for your references. make sure they know you are applying for a gun permit too.

There are subtle little things, but that covers most.

Also, I do a well put together and informative (with no biased slant) class about your permit, the legalities and the other important stuff that you should know as a permit holder and gun possessor.

Hit the site (www.safeinrochester.com) and look under lectures. It's listed right there.

dave
 
#14 ·
Thanks Dave,

Actually I do have a quick question. I was putting my work address in one copy of the pistol permit and the address ran long and I had to cram the zip code on the end.

Can you use a white out tape on those forms or will they throw a fit and deny it?

Any ideas?

Thanks
 
#15 ·
I would bet on 'throwing the fit'

Leave it. I know it does not look neat, but it's better than the messy whiteout.
 
#16 ·
Well I put my pistol permit application in today. :eek: Let the inquisition begin!

I'll keep everyone posted on how it goes.

Oh and by the way downtown Rochester sucks.

The sheriffs were very helpful and quite courteous. I was surprised by that. They didn't give me any grief and even answered all the questions I asked.

It was a pain in the ass to find though.
 
#17 ·
lol. Downtown isn't that bad if you can get over paying for parking. I work less than a block from the county office building.

Good luck. I hope it doesn't take too long to come back.
 
#18 ·
Heck, I was down there on Thursday for a couple amendments to my permit. In and out - 30 miutes or less. Did not even have to pay for parking
 
#20 ·
RochPersDef said:
Heck, I was down there on Thursday for a couple amendments to my permit. In and out - 30 miutes or less. Did not even have to pay for parking
I always wait until ~2pm when the county office is less crowded and it's usually a 10 minute deal for an amemdment. Where did you park free? I pay $75/mo to park down here.
 
#21 ·
The clerks office wasn't bad I got there around 130 and it wasn't crowded. I love that you have to pay to park your car to go to a government office. I wound up parking near the Rochester school district building and pay 3.50.

It sucks you have to pay that much a month just to get to work. What a rip.
 
#22 ·
I parked in the garage across the street. I think it's the Sister Cities Garage. Anyhow, apparently if you make it in and out in under 30 minutes, it's free.. whooo hooooooo
 
#24 ·
Now educate yourself on the laws, guidelines, etc that you will have to abide by to be a good firearms owner. Although it will take a while, start your training now.
 
#25 ·
i know this may sound silly but could any of u do a mock up application so we all can see what to write exactly???? :-\

i dont want to screw this up at all for the $ it cost to get it all done.

so far im having a problem with the arrest pat of it. as stated before i have need arrested 3 times but there is only room for 2. so where does the 3rd arrest go??

also the info for it i want to make sure i put it dow rite. it asks 4 questions but i dont know how or where to find those answers??
1) date
2) police agency
3)charge
4) disposition - court and date

says to tell them the outcome of each case.
 
#26 ·
Type up a separate paper with all of the details of each arrest and disposition on it. Use the order they have, but you will then have room to explain.

I hope the details aren't going to scare the judge. Remember, they can disallow you for basically any reason if they see fit. Be honest, but expect an inquiry from the backgrounder.
 
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