Need another reason to vote with your feet, New Yorkers? Thanks to personnel cutbacks in a near-bankrupt state, if you live in Onondaga County (which includes Syracuse) and want a permit to buy one of the few handguns still legal in the Empire State, you’ll need to plan ahead a little. A lot, actually. nycentral.com reports that “The process used to take two to six months, but (Sheriff Kevin) Walsh says he was forced to cut back on the number of people who process pistol permits in Onondaga County. There used to be three people in the licensing unit, now there is just one” That means . . .
Anyone strolling into the sheriff’s office wanting the government’s OK to buy a handgun is now told to come back next March. And maybe then the six month process of approval can get started.
According to New York State law, obtaining a pistol permit requires a criminal background check, character references, a hand gun safety course and other requirements.
Fortunately, we hear they don’t put you through the CAT scan and prostate exam unless you’ve successfully jumped all the other hurdles first. The delay isn’t confined to just one county, either.
The problem has spread beyond Onondaga County. The Cortland County Clerks Office reports a wait time of about 10 months, while Madison County reports a wait time of about a year.
So far. But never fear, New Yorkers. The situation is about to about to improve.
Sheriff Walsh says he recently got permission to install a new computer program which he says will streamline the process.
Whew! We hear WordStar and Lotus 1-2-3 can be huge timesavers.