How to Obtain a Pistol Permit in Orange County

GOSHEN – Many people have questions pertaining to gun ownership, in particular, obtaining a pistol permit, which is the first thing you must secure in order to purchase a hand gun.

The Hudson Valley Press recently sat down with Investigator John Roman and Captain Anthony Weed, both with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department to discuss the pistol license procedure in Orange County. What we discovered is that it is not very difficult to get a pistol license in Orange County. The basic requirements to be met are being 21 years old, qualify (no felony convictions) and meet the county and state requirements.  There are a few fees involved and the overall process can take a few months.

So, where do you begin? Investigator John Roman says the best place to start is at the orangecounty.gov website. There you can navigate to the Sheriff’s Office and select the pistol permit tab on the left. There you will find detailed instructions on the permit process.

You will need to download and print out two forms. The first is the pistol permit pedigree sheet (PPS-01) and the arrest/charge affidavit (PPS-02), which must be notarized.
When you complete the forms you can call the Pistol Permit Unit at (845) 291-7932 and make an appointment to be fingerprinted. Fingerprinting takes place at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Goshen. The fee, effective October 1, is $97.00 and can be paid with either a check or money order.

After being fingerprinted, you will be provided two copies of your application as well as a packet of supplemental documents. An Investigator, like John Roman, will review all of the documents you will need to complete and return within 60 days, such as court dispositions, character references, and a handgun safety course certificate, etc.

Pistol permit applicants are required to complete a handgun safety course and a certificate must accompany the Pistol Permit Application. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office offers a Handgun Safety Course, however, you may take another approved class. Listings of NRA Instructors from around the area who teach an approved class are located on the Sheriff’s website as well. Costs for the class range between $35 to $150 or more, and the class can last from three hours to 10 hours.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Handgun Safety Course developed a lesson plan that specifically goes over the history of firearms, ammunition and weapon types, and training of firearms ammunition (demonstrates how to load a magazine into the firearm). They also go into Article 35 of the New York State Penal Law which covers use of force. This gives a thorough explanation to participants as to when they can and when they can’t use deadly force to protect themselves or others and other parts of the law.

Once you have completed and filled out all of the required documents, you will return them to the Investigator at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and a final review will be done prior to the documents being sent to the judge.

There are several judges in Orange County under the jurisdiction of the 9th Judicial Court who may receive your file for review and determination. If the judge has made a positive determination, the Pistol Permit Department will send you a letter stating that your license is ready to be picked up. You will have to go to the Pistol Permit Department in Goshen where they will take a digital picture and give you your license. And that completes the pistol permit process. If you have any questions you may contact the Orange County Pistol Permit Unit at (845) 291-7932.