Comments on: How to Obtain a Pistol Permit in Erie County

By: dave

dave — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 22:56:06 +0000

I applied for my permit the second week of April 2010 and I purchased my first pistol by the second week in August of 2010, just waiting for it in the mail. They contacted my references within 3 weeks of applying.

By: LC Scotty

LC Scotty — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:24:21 +0000

I submitted my application for Erie county during the first week of August, 2009. I live in the city of Buffalo, and BPD contacted my references June 23 of 2010. I am still waiting to hear back.

Harry, 3 of my 4 references were outside the city (Tonawanda, Lancaster and West Seneca)

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:43:56 +0000

Somehow (and I have no clue how) I got my letter in less then 3 months. I don’t understand why they told me after purchasing that it will take 4-6 weeks for my permit to be mailed to me. Don’t you get a new one printed out right there if you already have one and are just registering a new pistol?

By: p3

p3 — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 21:18:22 +0000

3 days short of 11 months and my approval letter has arrived!

By: Harry

Harry — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 00:32:57 +0000

Thanks Peter

By: Peter Vasilion

Peter Vasilion — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 01:04:54 +0000

If you don’t have city residents as references, you should at least have local (Erie County) residents as references.

By: Harry

Harry — Tue, 25 May 2010 09:55:20 +0000

Could anyone tell me if Buffalo requires you refs. to be residents? Most of my friends and coworkers have moved out of the city. Thanks

By: Jenny

Jenny — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 18:07:23 +0000

I submitted my application to Erie county in April, 2009. In January of 2010 my references were contacted. One reference played phone tag with the detective and consequently never got a return call. It is now April 13. I contacted the Pistol Department to find out the status of my application. I was rudely spoken to, being told that city of buffalo police still have it and that they will send it back when they call the references. I said that has already happened. She said “well I dont know what to tell you, you’ll just have to wait” I eventually got a number to contact the “investigation unit” and got an answering machine.
BY THE WAY!!! I was told by an employee at the Pistol Permit Department in Feb of 2009 that you should apply for the permit that you want (concealed, business protection etc) up front because the judge does not want to re-review permit upgrades in 6 months. They will make you wait!!! I just hope it wasn’t bad advice because I applied for concealed!! Support the NRA<, it's our only hope of keeping our right to bear arms!!

By: Peter Vasilion

Peter Vasilion — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 04:56:55 +0000

The Judges in Erie County generally will not consider an upgrade application unless you have established a suitable track record of “good behavior”. If you initially requested an unrestricted license and the license was issued with restrictions, most Judges will make you wait eight years before they accept the upgrade application. However, each person’s circumstances are different and the advise on how best to approach an upgrade will vary.

-Peter Vasilion, Esq.

By: Peter Vasilion

Peter Vasilion — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 04:44:25 +0000

The delay is a function of (1) volume of applications, (2) number of investigators, and (3) number of staff in the Permit Office. Also, each municipality conducts its own investigation which means some Towns/Villages/Cities in Erie County process background checks faster than others. The number of applications more than doubled from 2007 to 2009, which has burdened the system.

The advice you received concerning leaving guns in vehicles is generally correct. However, if you have a restricted permit, you should be transporting your handguns in a locked strongbox with the ammunition transported separately. Under no circumstances are you to leave your gun unattended or with a person who does not have a permit. Also, you are expected to respect the restrictions of your license, if any. This means: if you have a restricted permit, you should not be casually carrying your pistol into a store or restaurant. Pistol permits have been suspended and revoked in the past on account of this.

-Peter Vasilion, Esq.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 22:43:12 +0000

i cant believe erie county, i have a friend who applied for his in Niagara county and had his license in less than 6 months. I dont understand what takes so long in erie county. I see people in other states that have theirs in a month. and they make it hard to get unrestricted. but as far as i know that once you get the license that is a permit to carry just restricted to hunting and target. ive had many friends in law enforcement tell me that if you are hunting or target and have the gun in your vehicle you should conceal it and never leave it there in case the vehicle gets stolen.

By: kc

kc — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 03:46:33 +0000

sorry. correction on my permit submission date. it was 5/5/09.

By: kc

kc — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 03:44:53 +0000

submitted my permit on may 5, 2010. my references were contacted and they sent out their letters. still no word. the only reason i know as much as i do is because my refs told me what happened. its a good thing the right to bear arms shall not be infringed, huh?

By: P3

P3 — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:42:33 +0000

I just passed the 7 month mark. None of my references have been contacted yet.

By: ARS

ARS — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 16:54:20 +0000

I filed for my pistol permit and the process took 14.5 months from start to finish. There were no delays or problems processing the application but the Buffalo Police Department (I am a city resident) seemed to drag their feet while conducting phone interviews. I was told that there was one officer (detective) assigned to the task and she was on leave of absence for medical reasons while my application sat on a desk for 4 months waiting for her return. The process isn’t that difficult but it certainly takes too long for law abiding people to get approved. How can states like Florida and others with “shall issue” rules and applying objective criteria get it done within 90 days?

I was issued a permit for “Target/Hunting”. How do I get my permit upgraded to “unrestricted”? It is nice to lawfully own a pistol but for protection purposes it doesn’t do much good if it is locked in a pistol vault on my nightstand when I am away from the house. Any suggestions or advice on this? Thank you.

~ARS