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Gun shop owners, St. Lawrence County sheriff hopeful ammunition background checks never come to fruition

Posted 2/25/17

By MATT LINDSEY A plan requiring background checks on ammunition sales has been suspended and St. Lawrence County Sheriff Kevin Wells and a local gun shop owner hope the plan never comes to fruition. …

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Gun shop owners, St. Lawrence County sheriff hopeful ammunition background checks never come to fruition

Posted

By MATT LINDSEY

A plan requiring background checks on ammunition sales has been suspended and St. Lawrence County Sheriff Kevin Wells and a local gun shop owner hope the plan never comes to fruition.

As part of the SAFE Act, which was passed in 2013 by lawmakers and praised by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the background checks on ammunition were never actually put into place.

Wells said he does not believe ammunition background checks are needed because people already go through a background check when purchasing firearms.

Ammo Background Check

“The last I heard it was suspended but it’s being brought up again,” said Joe Russell, owner of Hilltop Hunting in Canton. “Things change weekly.”

“It will be hard for law enforcement to facilitate it,” Russell said. “It’s pointless.

Russell said the law won’t work because he believes people would travel to adjoining states to buy large amounts of ammunition and sell it to their friends.

“That will only affect local businesses,” Russell said.

Wells said the ammo regulation process has not been created and will have a negative impact on small business.

When asked about a better way to regulate ammunition, Wells said, “eliminate it, not the need.”

“My general feeling is that none of the stipulations of the law are of any great use to public safety,” Sheriff Wells said.

“The law has only detrimental consequences to law-abiding citizens of this state,” he said.

Pistol, Revolver Permits

Pistol and revolver license holders in St. Lawrence County and across New York State are required to recertify their status every five years as part of the SAFE Act.

The deadline to recertify is based on the date the license was issued. For those who were issued a license before Jan. 15, 2013, the deadline is Jan. 31, 2018. Those who received a license after Jan. 15, 2013, the deadline is five years after the date the license was issued.

Wells said the system in place for handling pistol permits works well with the county clerk, law enforcement, and issuing court. St. Lawrence County Court Judge Jerome J. Richards acts as the issuing officer and determines approval, revocation and suspension of permits.

“I only disagree with the conditions being placed on pistol permit holders,” Wells said.

The number of pistol permits being applied for and issued has increased the past few years, but not dramatically. In 2016 517 permits were applied for and 494 were issued. In 2015 the county saw 405 permit applications and 330 were issued. The county saw 328 applications in 2014 with 367 issued. There were 641 applications submitted in 2013 with 595 approved. Applications figures in 2012 were at 397 with 322 approved.

Wells said there are many reasons that can cause the loss of permit, but normally it is due to an arrest.

“On the pistol permit application is very, very clearly stated the permit was good for a lifetime,” Russell said.

Russell says we “have a government that doesn't care about honest people or its economy.”

Those who fail to recertify within the deadline will have their pistol license revoked.

“We will notify county licensing officials of any discrepancies, including the names of any licensee who has not recertified by the deadline, so they can take whatever action is appropriate under the law,” a state police spokesman said when asked how enforcement will work when a pistol permit holder does not recertify timely.

To check on the status of a recertification visit htts://firearms.troopers.nt.gov/pprecert/.

For frequently asked questions visit https://troopers.ny.gov/Firearms/.

Election Drove Sales

The election created somewhat of a buying frenzy for gun owners. Hilltop Hunting and North Wood Outfitters both reported an uptick in sales.

“People were afraid of Hillary Clinton,” Russell said.

Russell said he saw some people make gun and ammunition purchases that they normally wouldn't have. “Buy one while you can in case you cant get it later,” he said.

“There was no hysteria, just people buying while they still had the chance,” Russell said.

At North Woods Outfitters, Jones says sales leveled off with the end of the election.

“People weren’t panicking, but just wanted to be sure to get guns and ammunition before the election was over,” Jones said.

Russell spoke harshly about Gov. Cuomo’s attitude toward business saying he was “giving economy to other states.” He referenced Henry Repeating Arms, a firearm manufacturing company that moved in 2008 from Brooklyn to New Jersey, taking jobs with them.

“I am sick of the SAFE Act and this non-gun-friendly state,” he said.

Although background checks can be a hassle for retail stores, such as North Woods Outfitters in Potsdam, owner Rick Jones says he “realizes it is part of the process.”

Jones says he has experienced wait times pushing an hour during the Christmas season and 30-minute phone calls to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) aren’t uncommon.

The checks include verifying a government issued ID and an arrest background check for felonies.

Russell agreed that the checks take a “fair amount of time,” but most people are used to it by now.

“I don't agree with a mentally unstable person having a gun…but I don't want them to have a sharp pencil either,” Russell said.

Wells added, “any weapon is an assault weapon if used properly.”