New Yorker Told He Can’t Have Flintlock

The New York Daily News is reporting today on how Brooklyn resident Michael Littlejohn has run foul of the law for owning a replica “handmade flintlock rifle” of the type used during the American Revolution to fight the “Red Coats.” The story, which is even handed (kudos to the Daily News for the fair reporting), addresses both sides of the issue, and actually is more slanted towards Mr. Littlejohn. But there is some serious reporting problems in the piece, and this could cause future problems for would-be gun owners in New York City.

The story says that Mr. Littlejohn, who could be facing legal action from the city for having an unregistered gun, could resolve the issue. It says:

“A police source says the war could end peacefully if Littlejohn applied for a permit with the NYPD handgun license division.”

This is flat out wrong, and either the reporter is incorrect, or the NYPD gave bad information. Probably a mix of both. The simple answer is that the handgun license division has nothing to do with long gun registration. The gun in question would need to be licensed with the Rifle/Shotgun Division, which isn’t just located in a different office but in a completely different part of the city. While pistol permits are obtained in Lower Manhattan at the police HQ, rifle/shotgun permits are issued through a branch in Queens. And just because you have one doesn’t make it any easier to obtain the other.