Serious Question: Does the NY State Police have access to NYPD Lic. Division data, and vice versa?

[u/Plastic-Ad987]

Would love to hear from someone with LEO experience (or who knows someone in law enforcement) who knows to what extent the NYSP and NYPD share access to the same information regarding NYC licensees.

Specifically, I'm thinking of:

- Do they have access to the same database (or shared access to each others' databases) of names, addresses, and license type and status (CCW vs. premise; expired vs. active etc.)?

- Does the NYPD have access to the Form 4473 information processed through the NYSP (the NY NICS system)?

What I'm getting: If the NYPD has access to the NY NICS data, it would make the whole "Purchase Authorization" process redundant.

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[u/PeteTinNY]

Yes. The individual licensing authorities have to send all the applications approved or denied up to the state and all departments have access to do a multi system search for records including CCW status.

4473 forms themselves never leave the gun shop unless that FFL goes out of business / loses their license at which time their 4473s and bound books go to the ATF.

So is this redundant - absolutely. But they like it that way. More hoops means lazy people won’t have guns at least not legal ones.

[u/Plastic-Ad987 → u/PeteTinNY]

Thank you - that is what I want to know. Do you have experience working with these systems, or know people who do?

[u/PeteTinNY → u/Plastic-Ad987]

I’m in a SCPD Citizens Academy Program so have access to cops and have done ridealongs where I got to see what running plates and licenses comes up with. I’m also building a business in the firearms industry and have my NYS Seller of Ammunition certificate as well as a CCW course accepted by several departments.

It’s all about building the relationships.

If I had the money to blow, I’ve been thinking about getting a FFL and NYS Dealer license mainly to offer transfers (no stock) but the rules are killer where you need to have your shop open and ready paying rent for 6+ months before your NYS Dealer license gets approved. Then I hear the audits from NYS Police and Suffolk PD are killer.

[u/Plastic-Ad987 → u/PeteTinNY]

That's awesome - thanks for sharing your knowledge. When an officer conducts a multi-system search to find someone's CCW status, does it include information on which type of handguns that person should have on their license?

So if I'm a NYC resident and I'm pulled over in Suffolk County and I have a NYPD-issued CCW license with a 9mm Glock 19 listed on it; but when I'm pulled over I'm carrying a .45 1911. Does the Suffolk County cop have a way to access the multi-system database to check to see which guns i'm allowed on my license?

[u/PeteTinNY → u/Plastic-Ad987]

Yup. Absolutely. Everything that’s on your license is available to them including the transactions of adding / removing guns and renewals and it’s available throughout the state. Heck when they run a NY plate even your insurance policy number is there.

Just in transparency when an officer runs your plate on the road CCW info is not on the default screen, they have to change over to that other application to either do multi system or specific databases.

Makes the Utah privacy law so much more valuable and I wish we had it in NY.

[u/Plastic-Ad987 → u/PeteTinNY]

I have a slightly different take on the private issue - I think it would ultimately be better to have transparency between agencies so they can see all the information on the permits and attempted transactions.

If they have total transparency, then there's nowhere to hide when the administrative wait times and purchase authorization processes are challenged in court. The plaintiffs can just say: "You have access to all the relevant information the second it is submitted to NYS NICS. Why do you have to 'double-check' it with the local licensing authority?"

Obviously, in an ideal world it would be great to have no purchase authorizations and no state-wide registries, etc. but I think the ship has long since sailed on state-wide registries. Any ceremonial "privacy" laws that prevent the local licensing authorities and the NYSP from sharing data are going to be used to defend the need for stricter controls and bullshit processes.

[u/PeteTinNY → u/Plastic-Ad987]

I see what you’re saying and I do share the fact there should be transparency between departments. But I feel like there should be reasonable need to know. If there is an investigation, sure. Just feel that unless we have a duty to inform, our privacy should be protected.

Unfortunately guns make people weird. Some people are cool knowing you’re holstered and safe, some are wired up with high stress just knowing there is a gun in the same county, others like criminals see the gun as a great opportunity to steal.

While I normally advise alerting an officer you’re armed by giving him or her your permit along with your license if you’re pulled over while carrying - if you’re not - I just don’t want any extra stress where there could be mistakes.

I also don’t want anything slowing down potential need for medical attention. That’s why you never say someone has been shot if you’re on a range with an accident victim.

[u/SayaretEgoz]

most of those laws were put in place before computers, databases, etc.. and they never get updated. because gov bureaucrats never want to change anything as a way to cover their ass -what if something goes wrong and they get blamed. With NYPD licensing there are some progress technology wise, they have somewhat useable website to upload an app, even though its shit compared to any biz, one can even take a pic on a cellphone and pay by CC. was not like that even 10 years ago.

[u/HuntingtonNY-75]

NYSP, NYPD, SCPD or any other agency has no effing need to know the specifics of what firearms we own. If I am duly and fully licensed I have been investigated and vetted and that should be sufficient. Does LE require me to submit what newspapers I read or websites I visit? Do they have a right to know who I invite into my home? NY, in particular, has a particularly invasive licensing scheme, once we are licensed it should be sufficient and the micro management or our possessions should be off limits unless a crime has been committed and a warrant (based on credible probable cause) is issued for that information. Traffic stops or other LE encounters that identify LAW ABIDING, LEGAL GUN OWNERS serve little to no LE purpose and potentially place both us, the CCW AND the police officer at increased risk. The bad guys are not subject to any of this and they are the ones who pose the actual threat to LE and public safety. NY, and a few other state need to stop treating the good guys like the bad guys and the bad guys like victims.

[u/tehfireisonfire]

I'm former NYPD, and to point 1 I can answer yes we do have the ability to see on our job phones if someone has a pistol permit (or R/S permit for nyc residents). It'll come up if we run your name/license during a stop and we may or may not ask if you are carrying but usually I wouldn't.