ONEONTA – On Thursday, State Senator James L. Seward (R/C/I/Ref- Oneonta) announced that he has introduced legislation (S.7343) to extend the deadline for pistol license holders to recertify their licenses with the New York State Police.

“The SAFE Act is one of the most confusing and disputed laws I have seen in my 30 plus years in the legislature,” said Senator Seward. “The pistol license recertification provision, in particular, was not well publicized and many people are unaware of the impending deadline or consequences for not recertifying. Anecdotal stories and media reports indicate that compliance is extremely low and more time is needed to get the word out and make sure that law-abiding pistol license holders are able to meet the recertification deadline.”

Under current law, individuals with pistol licenses issued before January 15, 2013 are required to recertify their licenses with the New York State Police by January 31, 2018. Many licensees have reported not receiving notification from the state police about the recertification. Others have reported difficulty recertifying through the state police website.