Description:

Office hours for Pistols:
Franklin County Clerk's Office
518~481~1685 
8:30 am ~ 3:30pm, Monday through Friday, except for holidays (this includes "Black Friday")

Applying for a Pistol Permit

You may visit the Franklin County Clerk's Office at 355 West Main Street, Suite 248, Malone, NY 12953 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to pick up your pistol permit application packet.  The Franklin County Clerk is responsible for accepting pistol permit applications and maintaining the files of pistol permit holders.

You may apply for a pistol permit if you have been a resident of Franklin County for at least six months at the time of application. Under New York State Law, you must be 21 years of age to be issued a pistol permit and to purchase a pistol. You are not required to buy or own a gun at the time of application and your permit will not expire even if you never place a gun on it.

In order to avoid unnecessary delays in the processing of your application, please read and follow all instructions in the packet carefully and be sure to complete all forms before returning to our office with the completed packet. Applicants must appear in person to turn in their application. The cost to apply for a pistol permit is specified in the application packet.  Pistol permits application can take approximately six-twelve months.  Please allow eight months to pass before you start inquiring your application status.

A pistol permit in Franklin County is valid unless suspended or revoked, or until you move out of New York State (having no ties to real estate.) In the latter event, you must surrender your license to the County Clerk's Office. Death terminates your permit. Your estate must surrender your permit to the Court and deliver your handguns to the NYS Police for safekeeping until properly transferred to a new owner.  You must also notify this office within ten days of a change of address.

Your arrest upon a violation of a criminal offense may result in a suspension or revocation of your permit. Handguns may be co-registered with spouses, significant other and siblings. The issuance to  you of a pistol permit from the Court grants you the privilege and right to possess a registered handgun, but you also hereby incur responsibilities, among which is the obligation to exercise prudence, safety, courtesy and common sense at all times when in possession of a handgun or other firearms.

New York SAFE Act Information

Please click here for information about the NYSAFE Act Opt-Out Privacy Form. The link will direct you to the State Police web page where you will find the form located at the bottom of the page. Opt-out forms should be returned to the County in which your permit was issued. We cannot accept forms for other Counties. Your Firearms License # is the Carry number on your permit.

NYSAFE Act “Opt-Out” Privacy Form

The Governor’s Office has established a website (http://www.nysafeact.com/) to answer questions about the New York SAFE Act. On the website, gun owners and licensed dealers will find a list of frequently asked questions that have been compiled and answered by experts on this new law.

There is also a section on what is and is not considered an assault weapon. This includes photos of weapons, banned features, a list of some of the banned weapons, and those firearms that are NOT considered assault weapons. The New York State Police have set up an online registration process for registering assault weapons. You can visit the website at http://www.nysafeact.com/ for more information. Registration forms can also be obtained by visiting a NYS Trooper station. For location and phone numbers, visit http://www.troopers.ny.gov/.

If you have additional questions, the New York State Police have established a hotline 1-855-LAW-GUNS (1-855-529-4867). Representatives are available Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Amending a Pistol Permit

The permit holder must appear in person whenever he or she wishes to amend (add or delete) a firearm from their license.  The cost to complete an amendment to your permit is $3.00.  DO NOT TAKE POSSESSION OF ANY HANDGUN UNTIL AFTER YOU HAVE REGISTERED THE GUN WITH THIS OFFICE.

Amending a permit would include: 

• Adding/Removing a gun from an individual
• Adding/Removing a gun from a dealer
• Adding/Removing a gun from a deceased individual
• Address Change
• Name Change
• Employment Change

Pistol Permits and Fees: 

• Application Packet $15.00
• Amendment $3.00 ~ 3 additions or deletions per amendment
• Duplicate Permit $15.00
• Transfer In $15.00
• Transfer Out $5.00

FINGERPRINTING AND FEES

Inked fingerprints are no longer acceptable for pistol permit applications. New York State has implemented a new policy requiring electronic or digital fingerprints. Below is a list of vendors who will collect and submit your fingerprints to the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services and FBI.

To schedule an appointment for fingerprinting you can go online to www.identogo.com/services/live-scan-fingerprinting.  You must bring two forms of ID; one must be a valid photo ID such as Driver’s License, Passport etc.; when you make your appointment you will be given a list of acceptable IDs.

You will be given two copies of payment receipts after your fingerprints have been done.  One you will keep and the other you will bring to the Franklin County Clerk's Office along with your completed pistol permit application.  You should submit your pistol permit application the same or very next day of fingerprinting.

You will have to give the vendor our office UNIQUE SERVICE CODE in order for your fingerprint results to come directly to the pistol permit office.  The UNIQUE SERVICE CODE is 158BFV.

Important Updates (updated 01/01/2017)

Pistol Permit Recertification

You may have heard about an upcoming Pistol Permit Recertification requirement.  This process will be conducted by the New York State Police but, in order to help Franklin County Pistol Permit holders, information will be made available at our office as we are made aware of it. As we are given additional information, we will be sure to pass it along. 

If you have any questions about recertification or need assistances with the recertification form please stop by the Franklin County Clerk’s Office Monday through Friday, 8:30am ~ 3:30pm and we would be happy to assist you.

Here is the information that has been made available:

• The recertification transaction is between the State Police and the Filer, not the County.
• The State Police will be launching a web site where Pistol Permit Licensees can be recertified either online or by downloaded paper form. The current expectation is that the website and online form will be available before the end of January 2017.  According to NYS Law, the deadline for recertifying is January 31, 2018 for all licenses issued prior to January of 2013.
• The Filer will need to list on the recertification form all firearms (not long guns/rifles) that are in their possession. 
• The State Police will contact the Filer to resolve any discrepancies between the recertification application and their existing records.
• The goal of the State Police is to create a database for use by Law Enforcement, Licensing Officers, and the Mental Health community.  All applications will be cross-checked against the data bases of the DMV, Office of Mental Health, and Federal Criminal Data Files.
• The State Police will NOT be issuing a card stating a permit holder is recertified.  The Filer will receive a letter stating that their permit has been recertified.  There will be no requirement that the Filer carry proof of recertification.
• The responsibility of the Filer will be fulfilled when the recertification form is submitted to the State Police.
• If the form is submitted electronically the Filer will receive a receipt that can be printed out. If submitted by mail it is recommended that the application be sent by certified mail so that there will be proof of mailing.
• At the end of recertification, the State Police will send to the licensing officer (in our case, Franklin County Court Judges via the Franklin County Clerk's office) a list of people who are in their records and did not recertify.  This aspect of the process is still being hashed out fully as there are different licensing officers in different NY counties.

How to recertify:

There are two ways that a pistol license holder can recertify.

• Recertify your pistol(s)/revolver(s) license electronically by visiting https://firearms.troopers.ny.gov/pprecert/ and following the instructions on the web page /or/
• Through the U.S. mail by completing the paper form available online at https://troopers.ny.gov/Firearms/, any New York State Police location or at the Franklin County Clerk’s Office.

When to recertify:

The deadline to recertify is based on the date that you were originally issued your pistol / revolver license:

• Before January 15, 2013 the deadline is January 31, 2018
• After January 15, 2013 the deadline is five years after the date the license was issued

Below is the section of the NYSAFE Act that refers to recertification:

Penal Law 400.10 (B)(b) All licensees shall be recertified to the division of state police every  five  years  thereafter.  Any license issued before the effective date of the chapter of the laws of two thousand thirteen which added this paragraph shall be recertified by the licensee on or before January thirty-first, two thousand eighteen, and not less than one year prior to such date, the state police shall send a notice to all license holders who have not recertified by such time. Such recertification shall be in a form as approved by the superintendent of state police, which shall request the license holder’s name,  date  of  birth,  gender,  race, residential  address, social security number, firearms possessed by such license holder, email address at the option of the license holder and an affirmation that such license holder is not prohibited  from  possessing firearms.  The form may be in an electronic form if so designated by the superintendent of state police. Failure to recertify shall act as a revocation of such license. If the New York state police discover as a result of the recertification process that a licensee failed to provide a change of address, the New York state police shall not require the licensing officer to revoke such license.

Any additional questions about Recertification should be directed to the New York State Police at 1-855-529-4867.

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