Recertification Correspondence from New York State Police is Legitimate

Suspicion is rampant. Calls and e-mail are flooding offices of the New York State Police requesting verification about a letter that many pistol permit holders in the state are receiving.

The NYSP says it is sending e-mail messages to pistol permit holders for whom recertification is due. The letters, a sample copy of which appears below, are legitimate. "It is an official e-mail," says the NYSP.

Laws governing firearms in the state, particularly the NY SAFE Act, requires that those who hold pistol / revolver licenses recertify their status every five years. The recertification includes information such as a confirmation of address and list of firearms possessed - including their make, model, caliber, and serial numbers.

Failure to comply with the recertification will result in a revocation of the license.

The intention of the Secure Ammunition and Firearm Enforcement Act, known as the "NY SAFE Act," is to prevent criminals and the dangerously mentally ill from buying guns. While opponents say it impedes the right to bear arms, a note on the New York State SAFE Act website says, "The legislation includes provisions that protect and preserve law-abiding citizens’ right to bear arms and does not restrict New Yorkers' ability to buy, sell, keep or use guns."

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 21: Demonstrators take part in a rally against gun violence on March 21, 2013 in the Harlem neighborhood of the Manhattan borough of New York City. The group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense In America as well as gun violence victims, youth organizations, healthcare workers, unions, elected officials, faith leaders and artists demonstrated to promote New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's NY SAFE Act as a national model for federal gun control legislation. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

Out of state residents who temporarily reside in New York must attach a copy of their driver's license or non-driver identification card to their applications.

Pistol Recertification Letter from New York State Police 2022

Recertification dates are based on original licensing or recertification dates and are scheduled to repeat every five years.

If in doubt about the veracity of the letter, or if the letter does not direct a permit holder to an official government website, the New York State Police advises that residents visit the New York State Police website on pistol permit recertification.

The New York State Police says that recertification may take place online by visiting the New York State Pistol Permit Recertification page at: https://firearms.troopers.ny.gov/pprecert/welcome.faces.

Answers to frequently asked questions may be found at: https://troopers.ny.gov/Firearms/.

Questions about the NY SAFE Act may be answered by calling: 1-855-LAW-GUNS (1-855-529-4867).

More on the SAFE Act:

The SAFE Act was enacted on January 15, 2013. It following the December 14, 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut during which a 20-year-old shot and killed 26 people. Twenty of the victims were six or seven years old. The shooting inspired many to call for tougher guns laws after it was revealed that the shooter allegedly presented mental health issues during his early years.

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 07: Francine Wheeler, displays a photograph of her son, Sandy Hook Elementary shooting victim Ben Wheeler, while participating in a meeting about gun violence with U.S. Senate Democrats in the visitors center of the U.S. Capitol March 7, 2018 in Washington, DC. Senate Democrats called the meeting to hear from people who they said were missing from the debate on guns, including the parents of young gun violence victims from Florida, Virginia and Connecticut; law enforcement officials; students and teachers. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The Office of the Child Advocate for the State of Connecticut outlined several of the shooter's diagnoses from childhood, noting that they went untreated, despite efforts by his parents to find a diagnosis and proper treatment. The report concluded that the "missed opportunities" in childhood to treat the shooter, identified for the purposes of this post and in the Connecticut report as "AL," were partially responsible for some of the violence he committed.

NEWTOWN, CT - UNSPECIFED DATE: In this handout crime scene evidence photo provided by the Connecticut State Police, shows a firearm seized from the suspects house following the December 14, 2012 shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School, taken on an unspecified date in Newtown, Connecticut. A second report was released December 27, 2013 by Connecticut State Attorney Stephen Sedensky III gave more details of the the Newtown school shooting by Adam Lanza that left 20 children and six women educators dead inside Sandy Hook Elementary School after killing his mother at their home. (Photo by Connecticut State Police via Getty Images)

Others have criticized the legislation as a kneejerk reaction to an event that was, by all accounts, horrifying.

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