It’s worth it.
Yes there is 3 gun in NY.
And I can’t speak for Ulster county’s permit but here in Otsego county it is encouraged that you put language to the effect of Personal Safety AND Sporting purposes.
If you do not put language about the personal safety thing many counties will only issue for the purpose of sporting since that’s all you asked for. If this is what happens your permit will not allow you to carry the weapon concealed and there are rules about when and how then gun must be transported to and from the range.
Also, if you ever decide to carry concealed for what ever reasons you will have to petition the County Judge requesting that the restrictions be lifted and a full CCW permit be issued. NOT a good approach because there will be paperwork costs and now more waiting involved.
Doing a few pages of BS paperwork that doesn’t reveal anything about you that isn’t already known or already documented by the state in some way (with the possible exception of your finger prints) is just an annoyance but inconsequential if you want to enjoy the sport.
Yes the wait sucks depending where in NY you live, but not all counties are as slow or restrictive as others. An example being here in Otsego County. I know of 3 recent CCW permit applicants who waited as little as 3 weeks and at most the permit was in the mailbox mid week of the 5th week of waiting and I believe that was because of some holiday/ vacation issues that affected the administrative process.
In other counties I understand the wait, costs and restriction issues are substantial compared to the county I am in
For the non NY folks who might be reading this thread and are not sure why some of the responses will sound all over the map. The way it works here is the individual counties in NY have autonomy over permits in areas of full carry vs. restrictions, cost, wait times, safety training requirements etc. Permits are applied for through the county Sheriff’s office and finalized by the County Judge’s office.
Because of this some counties are more permissive and the permit is less costly than others. Yeah i know what you are thinking. It’s just the way it is and doesn’t seem to be inclined to change for the better any time soon.
In general the truth is that NY is a SHALL ISSUE state and unless you meet one of the criteria that disqualifies you (history of criminal/ mental health issues and a couple other hot topics) most of the counties other than the ones immediate to NYC are easy to get a permit.
Easy is a relative term based on your feelings about wait times and or what your goal (concealed carry or sporting purposes only) is for getting the permit.
Ultimately, I think that in a state where getting a HG permit will only get harder as time goes on; getting one now is a VERY good idea before you can’t.
Oh and the permitting process is only relative to getting a handgun. Rifles and shotguns are not regulated in this way.
Hopefully I have helped your thoughts on the topic and NOT hijacked your thread with too much NY, HG permit info.