ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — New York State does not have pistol permit reciprocity with any other state. This means that pistol permits from other states are not recognized in New York, and if you get caught with a gun without a valid New York State permit, you’ll likely get arrested.
Although New York doesn’t recognize other states’ permits, there are 28 states that honor New York pistol permits, according to the U.S. Concealed Carry Association. Some of these states may have restricted reciprocity, which means they’ll recognize New York’s pistol permits under certain regulations.
States that recognize New York pistol permits
- Alabama (New York City permits not recognized)
- Arizona (permitless carry, at least 21 years old)
- Arkansas (permitless carry, at least 18 years old)
- Alaska (permitless carry, at least 21 years old)
- Georgia
- Idaho (permitless carry, at least 18 years old)
- Indiana (permitless carry, at least 18 years old)
- Iowa (permitless carry, at least 21 years old)
- Kansas (permitless carry, at least 21 years old)
- Kentucky (permitless carry, at least 21 years old)
- Maine (permitless carry, at least 21 years old)
- Michigan (at least 21 years old and resident permits only)
- Mississippi (permitless carry, at least 18 years old)
- Missouri (permitless carry, at least 19 years old, 18 for military)
- Montana (permitless carry, at least 18 years old)
- New Hampshire (permitless carry, at least 18 years old)
- North Carolina
- Ohio (at least 21 years old)
- Oklahoma (permitless carry, at least 21 years old)
- South Dakota (permitless carry, at least 18 years old)
- Tennessee (permitless carry, at least 21 years old)
- Texas (permitless carry, at least 21 years old)
- Utah (permitless carry, at least 21 years old)
- Vermont (permitless carry, at least 18 years old)
- Virginia (at least 21 years old)
- West Virginia (permitless carry, at least 21 years old)
- Wisconsin (at least 21 years old)
- Wyoming (permitless carry, at least 21 years old)
The Albany County Sheriff’s Office has made gun arrests over the past few years at the Albany International Airport for people who did not have a New York State pistol permit. According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) website, passengers are allowed to travel with guns if they are in checked bags, unloaded, in a hard-sided container, and declared to the airline at check-in.
Every time a weapon is declared to TSA, deputies from the Albany County Sheriff’s Office are called to verify the person has a valid New York State permit. If they don’t have the correct permit, they are arrested and charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, which is a misdemeanor.
According to Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple, most of the time this happens with people who have traveled to New York from Florida. They are licensed to carry in Florida, but once they go to fly back with their gun, it’s illegal, said Apple.
If you are driving through New York with a weapon, but without a New York State pistol permit, Apple said you do have a reasonable amount of time to just drive through the state before it becomes illegal. But what is a reasonable amount of time? If you stay overnight, that’s not reasonable, said Apple.
According to Apple, New York needs to have reciprocity with other states. New York will better serve its residents and out-of-state residents if it recognized other states’ pistol permits, he said.
The more gun restrictions there are, the more people want guns, said Apple. “There are more people carrying weapons now than ever before.”
Unlike Apple, New York State Assemblyman Phil Steck does not believe New York needs to recognize other states’ pistol permits. “The laws that exist do not need to be changed,” said Steck.
New York is a gun control state. Every state has different regulations when it comes to these permits, so it doesn’t make sense to recognize them in New York, said Steck. If New York did choose to have reciprocity with other states, the regulations of those states would have to be consistent with New York, he said.
Apple and Steck agree on one thing: it’s up to the gun owner to research the gun laws in each state before traveling there with a weapon.
