Is it now harder to buy a bullet than a gun in NY?
Mayhood's Sporting Goods owner Mike Mayhood helps a customer at his store in Norwich. As of Wednesday, new state laws went into effect changing how firearms and ammunition are purchased. (Photo by Tyler Murphy)
NEW YORK STATE – Is it now harder to buy a bullet in New York State than it is to buy a gun?
On Wednesday, September 13, new laws went into effect changing how firearms and ammunition are purchased in the state. New York has added the state police to the process, along with fees and data collection on buyers.
Before Wednesday, buying ammunition in New York State required a buyer to prove they were over the age of 18 with official identification. No background check was conducted or personal data collected.
As of Wednesday, buying ammunition in NY requires the following: full name, social security number, date of birth, race, gender, an active email, license number, home address, occupation, quantity of ammunition being purchased, caliber, the individual serial numbers on the products being sold, and more. Every ammunition background check will also require a $2.50 fee, approved or not.
Also before the law went into effect on Wednesday the federal government provided firearm background checks directly to licensed stores and customers for free.
State police now analyze and pass the information to the federal government and can block the transactions. NY will also add a $9 fee for gun background checks going forward.
Unlike the NY ammo background check, purchasing a gun through a federal background check does not require a social security number or email.
One of the few businesses in the area that is still open and able to sell shotguns and hunting rifles is Mayhood's Sporting Goods in Norwich. Two other area businesses with firearms licenses have closed in the past year.
Owner Mike Mayhood said state officials and firearm groups warned businesses leading up to the change that more buyers would be denied for ammunition than guns – something store clerks may have to explain to confused customers who have been buying the same ammunition for decades.
“They did tell us there will be more people who will be denied for ammo than guns, because the gun decision is a federal one. The ammunition background check is a state one. So they're two different systems,” said Mayhood, adding, “Different criteria, different records, different files.”
Purchasing ammunition under the new system, Mayhood estimated, could take a clerk up to 10 minutes per purchase. He said the same transaction done the day before the law was passed took about 30 seconds.
“I thought maybe we could just scan a driver's license, but that isn't how it is,” he said. “If a customer comes in, expecting to buy ammo he has always bought and he has to pay $2.50 to the state for that, and then they say 'No, you can't buy it.' Well, the state isn't here to tell them that, we have to tell them that. And it may be uncomfortable for us and for them to be in the store with people behind them to say, 'Hey, you don't qualify to buy ammo.'”
He said the business had been very busy for the last two weeks, and he predicted a slow down since most regular customers had prepared in advance and were now set. “It is more expensive to buy it today,” he said.
He estimated there would be a bottleneck just before deer season and the store was preparing to operate another register, so multiple transactions could done at the same time.
“What I think bothers customer more than even the $9 money grab is:customers don't believe it's New York State's business what it is they have in their homes. If you buy .22 ammo or 30-06 ammo, a deer hunter or hunting coyotes, a lot of people just don't want the state to know their business, or any government agency to know all of their business.”
Mayhood said many were asking about what the state intended to do with the information it was collecting.
“New York State has the right to deny anybody the right to purchase it. It is believed- though I have no facts on it, just what we are believing and our attorneys are believing is: That because they are keeping records of who is buying, what, and how many rounds, they can shut them off at any time. California did something similar. They ended up limiting the ammo, of how much ammo a year a person can buy. So target shooters, competitive shooters, have a problem getting enough ammo. So the state let them pay $50 more to up the amount you can buy on their card.”
He added, “It may be overturned. There is a lot of talk about it not being right, it being, unconstitutional. I mean you don't even need your social security number to buy a gun from the federal government.”
Local State Assemblyman Joe Angelino (R-121st District) said the new restrictions were part of an ongoing effort, mostly by suburban and city politicians, to restrict firearms all across the state, including rural upstate New York.
“New York State has always been very strict when it comes to handgun licenses – luckily each county is in charge of issuing the licenses. I think that drives the state nuts that they don't have control over that. So if you can't control the guns, the next best thing is to control the ammo.”
Angelino, a former police chief and U.S. Marine, pointed to a recent Supreme Court case in spring of 2022, where the court ruled against the state. As the state pressed for stricter gun control a court challenge and ruling seemed to backfire and instead the state was ordered to loosen certain restrictions.
He explained the court decision basically said, “'Hey, New York State, you are a little too strict on your pistol permit licensing and you need to be a 'Shall issue' state instead of a 'May issue.'”
Angelino said for about the past 100 years New York State had operated on the legal view of “May issue” and it was now a “Shall issue,” meaning essentially NY could no longer deny a pistol permit to a citizen in good legal standing without a reason and the applicant no longer had to specifically justify their right to own one.
“Well, New York State was so incensed by this that they called us back for a special extraordinary session, we had already broke for the year and they called us back in June,” said Angelino.
“They made having a pistol permit so onerous that is it almost- basically you can walk out your front door and stand on your lawn legally but if you go anyplace else, it's a felony. So that is being challenged in court,” he said.
Angelino said the new restrictions on ammunition and other laws were different ways of trying to get around the spirit of the court's ruling, which he said was meant to reduce limits and restore some rights to NY residents.
“Most of the people who are going to buy ammo, like handgun ammo, have already gone through a rigorous background check to get their pistol permit. And if they aren't buying handgun ammo, then they are buying 12 gauge or rifle ammunition, and they likely have a hunting license and have gone through a hunter's safety course on how to safely handle one,” said Angelino.
He also said, “This is just going after law abiding citizens and I'm sure the criminals in Rochester and Syracuse who are shooting up neighborhoods are not going through any of this process and criminals by their nature don't obey the law. Law abiding citizens do obey the law but now the laws are just turning into harassment.”
He said businesses that sell firearms were coming under increasing pressure from the state and many had shutdown or move away. He said people were afraid of, “Not dotting an I or crossing a T.”
“I was in New York City last week, it is a different world. I was not comfortable down there, lots of different sights, sounds and activity, and one size does not fit all, but a majority of the legislature comes from New York City.”
He estimated out of 150 assembly people about 100 are from New York City or the surrounding areas.
“We always get out voted and it's a different world and these laws do not fit,” he said.
Angelino's district includes six counties, most of it rural, including parts of Chenango, Broome, Delaware, Madison, Otsego and Sullivan counties.
“We are in a very agricultural area, where hunting is a way of life and firearm ownership is used for hunting. We have gun clubs all over my district. It's also a cultural thing passed down, an heirloom passed down from one to another- a grandfather giving a shotgun to a grandson. This is not a way of life people in New York City live by and they are just not in tune with this huge part of the state,” said Angelino.
On Wednesday, September 13, new laws went into effect changing how firearms and ammunition are purchased in the state. New York has added the state police to the process, along with fees and data collection on buyers.
Before Wednesday, buying ammunition in New York State required a buyer to prove they were over the age of 18 with official identification. No background check was conducted or personal data collected.
As of Wednesday, buying ammunition in NY requires the following: full name, social security number, date of birth, race, gender, an active email, license number, home address, occupation, quantity of ammunition being purchased, caliber, the individual serial numbers on the products being sold, and more. Every ammunition background check will also require a $2.50 fee, approved or not.
Also before the law went into effect on Wednesday the federal government provided firearm background checks directly to licensed stores and customers for free.
State police now analyze and pass the information to the federal government and can block the transactions. NY will also add a $9 fee for gun background checks going forward.
Unlike the NY ammo background check, purchasing a gun through a federal background check does not require a social security number or email.
One of the few businesses in the area that is still open and able to sell shotguns and hunting rifles is Mayhood's Sporting Goods in Norwich. Two other area businesses with firearms licenses have closed in the past year.
Owner Mike Mayhood said state officials and firearm groups warned businesses leading up to the change that more buyers would be denied for ammunition than guns – something store clerks may have to explain to confused customers who have been buying the same ammunition for decades.
“They did tell us there will be more people who will be denied for ammo than guns, because the gun decision is a federal one. The ammunition background check is a state one. So they're two different systems,” said Mayhood, adding, “Different criteria, different records, different files.”
Purchasing ammunition under the new system, Mayhood estimated, could take a clerk up to 10 minutes per purchase. He said the same transaction done the day before the law was passed took about 30 seconds.
“I thought maybe we could just scan a driver's license, but that isn't how it is,” he said. “If a customer comes in, expecting to buy ammo he has always bought and he has to pay $2.50 to the state for that, and then they say 'No, you can't buy it.' Well, the state isn't here to tell them that, we have to tell them that. And it may be uncomfortable for us and for them to be in the store with people behind them to say, 'Hey, you don't qualify to buy ammo.'”
He said the business had been very busy for the last two weeks, and he predicted a slow down since most regular customers had prepared in advance and were now set. “It is more expensive to buy it today,” he said.
He estimated there would be a bottleneck just before deer season and the store was preparing to operate another register, so multiple transactions could done at the same time.
“What I think bothers customer more than even the $9 money grab is:customers don't believe it's New York State's business what it is they have in their homes. If you buy .22 ammo or 30-06 ammo, a deer hunter or hunting coyotes, a lot of people just don't want the state to know their business, or any government agency to know all of their business.”
Mayhood said many were asking about what the state intended to do with the information it was collecting.
“New York State has the right to deny anybody the right to purchase it. It is believed- though I have no facts on it, just what we are believing and our attorneys are believing is: That because they are keeping records of who is buying, what, and how many rounds, they can shut them off at any time. California did something similar. They ended up limiting the ammo, of how much ammo a year a person can buy. So target shooters, competitive shooters, have a problem getting enough ammo. So the state let them pay $50 more to up the amount you can buy on their card.”
He added, “It may be overturned. There is a lot of talk about it not being right, it being, unconstitutional. I mean you don't even need your social security number to buy a gun from the federal government.”
Local State Assemblyman Joe Angelino (R-121st District) said the new restrictions were part of an ongoing effort, mostly by suburban and city politicians, to restrict firearms all across the state, including rural upstate New York.
“New York State has always been very strict when it comes to handgun licenses – luckily each county is in charge of issuing the licenses. I think that drives the state nuts that they don't have control over that. So if you can't control the guns, the next best thing is to control the ammo.”
Angelino, a former police chief and U.S. Marine, pointed to a recent Supreme Court case in spring of 2022, where the court ruled against the state. As the state pressed for stricter gun control a court challenge and ruling seemed to backfire and instead the state was ordered to loosen certain restrictions.
He explained the court decision basically said, “'Hey, New York State, you are a little too strict on your pistol permit licensing and you need to be a 'Shall issue' state instead of a 'May issue.'”
Angelino said for about the past 100 years New York State had operated on the legal view of “May issue” and it was now a “Shall issue,” meaning essentially NY could no longer deny a pistol permit to a citizen in good legal standing without a reason and the applicant no longer had to specifically justify their right to own one.
“Well, New York State was so incensed by this that they called us back for a special extraordinary session, we had already broke for the year and they called us back in June,” said Angelino.
“They made having a pistol permit so onerous that is it almost- basically you can walk out your front door and stand on your lawn legally but if you go anyplace else, it's a felony. So that is being challenged in court,” he said.
Angelino said the new restrictions on ammunition and other laws were different ways of trying to get around the spirit of the court's ruling, which he said was meant to reduce limits and restore some rights to NY residents.
“Most of the people who are going to buy ammo, like handgun ammo, have already gone through a rigorous background check to get their pistol permit. And if they aren't buying handgun ammo, then they are buying 12 gauge or rifle ammunition, and they likely have a hunting license and have gone through a hunter's safety course on how to safely handle one,” said Angelino.
He also said, “This is just going after law abiding citizens and I'm sure the criminals in Rochester and Syracuse who are shooting up neighborhoods are not going through any of this process and criminals by their nature don't obey the law. Law abiding citizens do obey the law but now the laws are just turning into harassment.”
He said businesses that sell firearms were coming under increasing pressure from the state and many had shutdown or move away. He said people were afraid of, “Not dotting an I or crossing a T.”
“I was in New York City last week, it is a different world. I was not comfortable down there, lots of different sights, sounds and activity, and one size does not fit all, but a majority of the legislature comes from New York City.”
He estimated out of 150 assembly people about 100 are from New York City or the surrounding areas.
“We always get out voted and it's a different world and these laws do not fit,” he said.
Angelino's district includes six counties, most of it rural, including parts of Chenango, Broome, Delaware, Madison, Otsego and Sullivan counties.
“We are in a very agricultural area, where hunting is a way of life and firearm ownership is used for hunting. We have gun clubs all over my district. It's also a cultural thing passed down, an heirloom passed down from one to another- a grandfather giving a shotgun to a grandson. This is not a way of life people in New York City live by and they are just not in tune with this huge part of the state,” said Angelino.
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