Please advise on the following questions / comments.
Question 4 on the Character Reference Form asks “Has the applicant ever been arrested?”. I am 67 years old and have had a home in Greene County for about 25 years and now have retired and lived here for full time for about 2 1/2 years. Some 51 - 52 years ago as a youth in Queens, New York City, I was arrested. I am sure that I was not convicted and I think my record was sealed because of my age, 16 -17. I am not even sure of the charges. My neighbors / character references that I have known for the past 20 - 30 years of course are not aware of my arrest some 51 - 52 years ago. For that matter, my children, grand children, pastor and most other people in my life are not aware of this.
Question:
1. Am I obligated to now have to explain to my neighbors / friends / character references that I was arrested some 51 - 52 years ago when I myself are no longer aware of the charges?
2. Question 5 goes on to ask, “If so, for what, when and where”?. I don’t have the answers to these questions myself so couldn’t tell them if I wanted to, which of course I don’t.
3. In addition the Pistol / Revolver License Application form page 1 asks, “Have you ever been arrested ———“ and goes on to ask for dates, police agency, charge, disposition date, disposition court and disposition. I am either not sure or do not know the answer to most of these questions. In addition there is a stern “Notice” included in the application package that warns against “failure to disclose” and “false sworn statements” and how they will be treated as a “criminal offense and permanent denial” of my application.
How do I respond to these questions?
I also noticed that several of the questions on the Character Reference Form are couched as “To your knowledge” or “Do you believe” or “In your opinion” however questions 4 asks for a positive “Has” the applicant ever been arrested”. It would at least seem to me that question 4 would or should have been couched in the same way.
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