After countless hours, the New York guide is here
If you followed our launch last month, you probably noticed one big, important omission: New York.
We tried to launch with New York, we really did, but reached the decision that launching without waiting was the best way to serve the community. The reality is that the way firearms regulations are structured in New York made its guide the most difficult to put together by far. It wasn’t even close.
The New York guide took as long to research and write as our eight launch guides put together.
The sad reality of New York’s guide is that the system of laws we had to navigate are complicated by design. Malicious compliance comes to mind. The state set out to design a convoluted system and it delivered exactly that.
57 counties and New York City, each with individual authority to interpret and enforce subjective standards under state law.
What gets approved in one county gets rejected in another. Fees vary. Processing times vary. Some counties don’t even issue handgun-only licenses because their requirements match concealed carry anyway. The interpretation of standards like “good moral character” depends entirely on whoever reviews your application. You could apply to the same office on different days and get different outcomes.
These subjective discretion standards aren’t just convoluted, they’re dangerous to our community.
Being trans shouldn’t affect your Second Amendment rights, but when state law gives individual licensing officers discretion to judge ‘good moral character,’ personal bias can stand between you and your rights. Discretion becomes a discrimination vector. We can’t document every county’s biases, but we can warn you they exist and tell you what recourse looks like.
Not writing a guide for New York simply wasn’t an option.
Between 100,000 and 200,000 trans adults live in New York State. That’s one of the largest trans populations in the country, and leaving them without resources would be a dereliction of our duty. Constitutional rights shouldn’t require a law degree to exercise – and New York has made exercising those rights as complicated as possible.
What’s in the guide
- Statewide purchase and licensing requirements
- Concealed carry license process and requirements
- Full NYC-specific section with separate requirements
- Trans-specific considerations: name changes, database systems, FOIL privacy exemptions, when to update licenses
- Warnings about county variation and active litigation
- Clear guidance on when you need to verify locally or consult a lawyer
The honest limitations
We can’t cover every county’s specific quirks. Unfortunately we don’t have the manpower to cover 57 individual counties while writing guides for 50 states. We provide the statewide framework and warn where variation exists – you’ll need to verify details with your local authority. We’ll give you a strong foundational understanding of what you need to know beforehand, what to ask about, and how to navigate those answers.
New York’s firearm laws are, unsurprisingly, under constant litigation. Much of what we encountered makes little sense in a post-Bruen landscape, and litigation is already underway to reconcile that reality. We’ll update the guide as major developments happen, but always check official sources before applying.
New York’s discretionary system means approval isn’t guaranteed even when you meet every requirement. If you face discrimination, you may need legal help.
Even with these constraints, having a clear starting point is better than navigating this blind.
What we need from you
Found something wrong? Let us know. We need these guides to be accurate, and we would much rather fix an error than have someone get bad information. We had more individual contributors and eyes on the New York guide than ever before, but things can slip through the cracks. If you think you found something, either email us directly or use the contact form.
Discriminated against? Please reach out. While we can’t provide direct legal advice we’re going to be creating a private record of incidents which could be helpful to any future litigation. We may be able to point you towards a solution, but also understand that we’re a very small team undertaking a very big project.
Have expertise in New York or any other state? If you’re familiar with your state’s gun laws, especially if you’re a lawyer, dealer, gunsmith, or firearms instructor, and you want to help make sure we get your state right, or have a proposal for a blog post you’d like to write? Get in touch. Your input is extremely valuable to us.
Want to spread the word? As always, please share this with people who might find it useful. That’s genuinely the most helpful thing right now. In order for a community resource like this to be valuable, that community has to know of its existence. For this project to succeed, we need your help getting the word out.
Want to contribute? As we’ve mentioned earlier, this website represents a significant and continual time investment from a dedicated team of people. Contributions are very much appreciated but not expected. Please check out our support section for fun merch and other ways to help out financially. We’ve added new options since our launch and truly appreciate any amount of support.
Moving forward
The guide is official live at and can be found here.
What guides are coming next? Well, looking at our traffic data the demand is pretty clear. We’ll be putting together Illinois and Virginia. Hopefully we’ll get these out in the next few weeks, but Illinois may take more time than average.
Final thoughts on New York and the New Year
We spent the better part of two months navigating New York’s bureaucratic labyrinth. Contradictory and unclear county rules, constantly shifting legal standards, discretionary barriers designed to obstruct your exercise of your rights. It was exhausting, frustrating, and at times it felt deliberately insurmountable.
That’s exactly what they’re counting on. That we’ll look at the complexity and give up. That we’ll decide it’s not worth the effort. That we’ll accept being shut out of our rights because the system made accessing them too hard.
But this difficulty isn’t just the story of navigating the Second Amendment in New York – this struggle against bureaucratic and legal barriers is the story of existing as a trans person in America in 2026.
We’re entering 2026 facing all-too-similar labyrinths on a national scale. Laws designed to exclude us. Systems built to exhaust us. Whole bureaucracies and agencies weaponized against our existence. The strategy is the same: make it so complicated, so hostile, so draining that we stop trying.
We must remind ourselves that complexity is not impossibility. That information is power, community is our strength, and our persistence matters for ourselves and everyone who comes after us.
New York’s firearm laws are complicated. The year ahead will be very complicated. But it doesn’t mean we stop being who we are. It doesn’t mean we stop showing up for each other. It doesn’t mean we abandon our rights or our community.
When they demand our silence is exactly when we must be loudest. We are worth standing up for. We lead by example. We insist on our inherent dignity.
This guide exists because we refused to accept that complexity should equal exclusion. That same refusal – to be worn down, shut out, or made invisible – is how we’ll face what’s coming.
Licensing officers don’t determine our worth. Legislators don’t define our humanity. Our existence isn’t up for debate. These are inherent truths, and we must insist on them without exception.
Stay informed. Stay connected. Stay safe. Know that when systems are designed to make you quit, showing up anyways is an act of resistance.
We’re here. We’re not going anywhere. We’ll keep doing this work. State by state, guide by guide, community member by community member. For as long as we’re able.
Acknowledgements:
- Big thanks as always to D and the Pirates for so much motivation and technical support.
- Also thanks to T, who spent their post-holiday hours pouring over this guide so that we could get it released on time.
- Shout out to Ry, who saw our launch, reached out, and really helped us get this guide across the finish line.