TargetTalk

The circumstances are that I might have to move to NYC in the future, and I've heard several mentions of the guns, including air pistols, are banned in the city. Can anyone point me to the actual law that says that?

Looking at the NYC published ordinance from ATF:

1. It shall be unlawful for any person to sell,
offer to sell or have in such person's possession
any air pistol or air rifle or similar instrument in
which the propelling force is a spring or air, ex-
cept that the sale of such instruments if accom-
panied by delivery to a point without the city, and
possession for such purpose, shall not be un-
lawful if such person shall have secured an an-
nual license from the police commissioner of the
city authorizing such sale and possession. The
sale and delivery of such instruments within the
city from one licensee to another licensee, and
the use of such instruments in connection with
an amusement licensed by the department of
consumer affairs or at rifle or pistol ranges duly
authorized by law shall not be considered a
violation of this subdivision.

Can anyone translate that from Legalese to Human?
Seems like you need some sort of license to sell (what about just possessing?). Does "the ban" mean that this license is never granted, or there's some other law that explicitly prohibits possession?

Any input is appreciated.

I'm not a lawery (yet!) but my interpretation of that paragraph is:

1. You need a permit for ANY gun, including an air pistol or air rifle, in NYC.
2. Said permit is issued by the police.
3. If you are at a gun range, you can use your gun. Otherwise, you cannot.
4. The gun cannot be shipped into the city, you need to bring it in yourself (I think).

In otherwords, its a HUUUGE PITA to get an air pistol in NYC. From reading other firearms forums, I understand it to be extremely difficult to get a permit in NYC. That said, you would probably have more luck with people who have gone through this process and know what it is about by posting at one of those sites to. Might I recommend:

www.thefiringline.com
www.thehighroad.org

Those forums are simply bigger, so you're more likely to get a response from someone who has had to deal with it.

I would also give the NYPD a call. They should know what is involved in legally owning a gun within the city limits.

You might also want to give the folks at newyorkpacking.org a call. Though they are dedicated more to CCW rather than target shooting, they should know the laws and loopholes you have to go through.

Living right next to NYC (ugh) all I can say to make it simple is---possession of any gun within the 5 boros of NYC is unlawful unless you have a permit for said firearms---this includes rifles, shotguns, pistols, and air pistols and rifles as well. However with the possession of an NYC Pistol License and following their regulations you can own almost any type of pistol with certain exceptions, with valid NYC Pistol License. Now getting the license is a rigmarole in and of itself, not impossible but close. The legalese you refer to only states that if you purchase said AP out of the city limits it's cool to bring it in and own if you report it and it's added to your licensing information at Police Headquarters. Beyond that if you already own one or two and move to the City, keep it to yourself until you figure out the licensing system. Living right next door to the city as I stated, in Nassau County and the rest of the state---possessing an AP is a no brainer not requiring neither FFL nor license to purchase, possess and carry to and from ranges and their use.