Expert: Robert P. Firriolo - 9/28/2009

Question
COULD YOU GIVE ME THE WEB ADDRESS FOR THE APPLCATION DOWNLOAD FOR RESTORING MY GUN RIGHTS IN N.Y.S. 7 YRS. AGO I WAS CONVICTED OF CLASS E FELONY D.W.I. 5 YRS.PROB.(no violations) $5000 FINE. I REALIZE IT MAY BE TOO SOON BUT MY FORMER P.O. SAID IT COULD TAKE A YEAR OR MORE BEFORE MY APPLICATION IS EVEN LOOKED AT. BEFORE ASKING, I TRIED TO FIND THE SITE MYSELF,BUT TO NO AVAIL. THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO HELP ME! BEST REGARDS, JOHN 40YRS. NRA MEMBER. I LIVE IN THE DEEP ADIRONDACKS, I NEED A GUN.

Answer
To restore firearm rights after a felony conviction in a New York State court, one needs to obtain a Certificate of Relief from Civil Disabilities (CRD) and a Certificate of Good Conduct (CGC) from the sentencing court or the Parole Board.

Please refer to the following document for specific details, and note closely the contents of paragraph #15:

http://dpca.state.ny.us/pdfs/certificatesofrelieffromforfeituresanddisabilitiesq...

Paragraph #16 explains where you can get the forms you need: "Correction Law §705(1) states that such forms relating to Certificates of Relief from Disabilities shall be distributed by the State Director of Probation and Correctional Alternatives [DCPA]... and forms relating to Certificates of Good Conduct shall be distributed by the Chairman of the Board of Parole."

Here is a link to the CRD application from the DCPA: http://www.dpca.state.ny.us/pdfs/dpca52.pdf

For a class E felony, one must wait at least three years from the date of one's unrevoked release from custody by parole, or from the date one's sentence ended, to be eligible for a CGC. Here is a link to the application and the instructions: https://parole.state.ny.us/documents/CertApplication.pdf

You can also contact the NYS Division of Probation and Correctional Alternatives for more information:

http://dpca.state.ny.us/contact.htm

Good luck to you.