Legal Question in Criminal Law in New York

Does one have to disclose youthful offender on a pistol permit application? A friend of mine lives on Long Island, New York (Suffolk County) and he is 22 years old. He was 18 when he was charged with non-violent felony charges involving drugs, and after probation they were all dropped down to 1 misdemeanor possession charge, and awarded Youthful Offender status for it. He knows that by law he does not have to put it on job applications, etc. He has also passed the FBI fingerprinting for a Security Guard state license, and bought a couple rifles and checked off the "No" box for every criminal question and it's never raised any red flags or came back to haunt him, BUT he understands that handgun/pistol laws in New York are very different than buying a shotgun, and can be very strict. He appreciates any input you have to offer, thanks!


Asked on 7/11/13, 3:22 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Philip Katz Fink & Katz, PLLC

I would advise you to disclose it. Typically, even the sealed files are accessible to law enforcement, and my experience is that "the cover up is always worse than the crime." I suggest that you be forthright and fully disclose all in your filing.

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Answered on 7/20/13, 9:21 am


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