Pistol License Renewal - Pleasant and Fast But Very Concerning

I received a letter in the mail from my local County Police Department last week about my pistol license needing to be renewed. There was a two sided form, mostly already filled out on which I had to fill in a couple of items of missing info,, check that my pistols were listed correctly and answer several questions, yes or no. The very first question was of great concern to me because it asked if I had taken ANY prescription drugs in the past five (5) years. On my original application they specifically asked about prescription narcotics but nothing about other prescription medications. They are getting extremely nosy relative to personal medical records especially in light of the fact that NY considers pistol license information to be public record unless the licensee has filed to have his license info withheld from the public. I did that a year or three ago when they gave us the option and can only hope they got it right and never release my license info along with those newly required medical questions & answers to the public. I guess it is about time to send off another several letters to elected county and state officials to complain about this latest invasion of privacy that should have nothing at all to do with the issuance or denial of a pistol license.

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Edited to ad: There was also a new requirement in the paperwork that probably should concern any licensee, at least in my county since I am unaware if this is state wide, and that is that they mandate you put down in which area your pistols are stored in our home and how they are secured with options of a safe, a locked container or other (and you fill in what is the other method). I have to wonder if anyone who did not opt out of having their license info available as a public record now has the concern that someone can request their license info and see where and how their weapons are stored. If that is now part of public record, the state has just potentially given burglars or home invaders the whereabouts of a licensees' weapons and the method of their storage. I can hear one crook talking to another.

Dirtbag 1: "Hey Tony, we be going to dis guy's house to be gettin us some guns."

Dirtbag 2: Forgedaboudit Jaquann, he got dem in his safe upstairs. Let's go to Elmer J. Fudd's place cause he only got dem in a locked cabinet in da basement".

End of edited add on.

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As for the actual renewal process, I had to write up all the prescription drugs I had taken over the course of the last five years and id that for as many as I could remember. Then stopped by a Citibank, where a nice young lady notarized my list for me as required. Thankfully she did it gratis and was very pleasant about it. When I got to the county police headquarters, I was amazed to find there was not even a single person ahead of me. I was taken immediately by a very nice, courteous and professional lady officer and after about 10 minutes, at most maybe a dozen and that included some chat time, I had my renewed pistol license in hand and was on my way home. The process was nothing like the initial application which took a few to several visits to the license division and a couple to few months to process. All in all, a very pleasant experience except for having to divulge all that medical information.

So, I am good for another 5 years. Hopefully by then, folks in NY and the country as a whole, will have realized it is not the guns that are the problem and the whole licensing thing will be a moot point. Of course, if Clinton survives her maladies and is somehow elected to the presidency, all will go in the exact opposite direction and I may never again be issued a pistol license. Vote Trump, vote for America!

All the best,
Glenn B