Expert: Robert P. Firriolo - 3/8/2010

Question
I submitted a question to you about 2 months ago, and gave great detail in regard to our issue. My husband had been convicted of a class 7 drug possession charge in 2000, and was denied the right to purchase a .22 caliber hunting rifle. your response was incredibly rude, and belittling, to say the least. You said something to the effect of"I don't know why you would wait a full year after receiving the denial letter to pursue it"...Uh, re-read my question, buddy. WE HAD ONLY JUST RECEIVED THE LETTER 3 DAYS PRIOR TO MY ASKING THE QUESTION!!!!!!! WE HAD BEEN ON THE PHONE/WRITING LETTERS FOR MONTHS TRYING TO GET INFO!!! I came to this site in hopes of obtaining some HELPFUL info, as my husband and I have never been in a situation like this, and have never had past issues when trying to purchase a rifle or any accessories.  So to receive a response that was so blatantly rude, well, it kinda sucked, to be honest.  If U get irritated by the questions we all ask, and you cannot figure out a way to respond to said questions in a helpful, respectful manner, maybe u should cease volunteering.  And if you do no take the time to READ the question completely, well, the why even bother responding to it?  You repeated the domestic violence issue, which doesn't pertain to us in any shape or form, and repeated my question in your answer by stating that a misdemeanor drug conviction is not reason for the denial of possessing a RIFLE.  We knew all of this, as made clear in the detailed question. what we wanted to know was A.)UNDER WHAT PREMISE DOES THE STATE OF NY HAVE TO DENY MY HUSBAND'S RIGHT TO PURCHASE AND OWN A RIFLE and B.) HOW WOULD WE GO ABOUT DEBATING THE ISSUE.  The simple fact that we had to wait over 1 year to receive an answer to our request for explanation to the denial in itself was mindblowing...so if u wouldn't mind, in future situations, perhaps instead of being rude and belittling apply that are going to your for ADVICE AND HELP, maybe you could get off of your high horse and understand many of us are not experts in the situation at hand, nor do we know much if anything about the issue and how to go about rendering a solution. There is a reason we come to this site, and submit questions. And fyi...I did read countless answers that had already been posted in hopes of finding one that was helpful to me. Only after doing so, and not finding anything that really helped me, did I post a question to you. Good luck w/your continued work in  this field...Hopefully you can learn to understand what this site is for, and what purpose you are here to serve.

Answer
I went back and located what I believe was your question to me. Here was my response:

>I am not going to give a detailed answer as you did not follow the instructions you were given, which explain that I do not answer such questions and to search the archives in this topic before asking your question. The subject of how to restore rights after a conviction in New York have been covered many times. However, you do ask a fair question about gun law, which I will answer. Simplified, a felony or a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence make one prohibited from purchasing guns or ammo under federal law. A misdemeanor drug conviction, for example, generally will not make one a prohibited person. In New York, such a conviction could prevent somebody from getting a handgun license, but would not affect the right to own a rifle. I can't tell you more about your situation because you don't give any details about the appeal letter from the FBI, why you've waited over a year since getting it, and what you do say about it does not make sense. Charges do not make one prohibited unless there is a pending indictment. Convictions, not old charges, are what are potentially relevant. If you want to re-ask your question giving specific details about all of the convictions and the exact content of the FBI letter, I may be able to answer a specific question.<

There is nothing rude or belittling in this answer. You failed to follow the instructions. You failed to search for your question about restoration of rights in the archives, and it has been answered before. Your question was rambling and really not very clear. You failed to provide sufficient information to give you a good answer. That is not being rude in any way; it is just stating facts. Sorry if you're uncomfortable with that.

If you have a question that falls within this topic, if you follow ALL of the instructions, and if you have searched to see if it has been answered here before, please go ahead and ask it here if you like.