ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — If you plan to apply for a concealed carry permit in the State of New York, there are new regulations you must follow to qualify.  

Before anyone can file their requests for a permit in the Monroe County Clerk’s Office, they’ll need to show proof they passed the proper firearm safety training by — who the state calls — a “Duly Authorized Instructor.”  

With only a week’s notice, the State Division of Criminal Justice Services released their minimum standards to obtain a concealed carry permit.

Applicants must complete 16 hours of in-person learning on gun safety, proper storage, conflict management, target practice, and more. Instructors like David Jenkins wasted no time getting ready.  

“Right now, I’m thinking just with the workload we have now and adding this into it, I’ve got to add four-to-five instructors to my staff,” Jenkins, Owner of Rochester Personal Defense said. “It’s going to be a full day in the classroom. Then another half day of just basic fundamentals of shooting.”  

After completing this course, applicants must then score at least 80% on a written test covering the curriculum. Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter is concerned about how his department and private defense instructors can meet these demands on top of tackling background checks.  

“We do about 3,000 pistol permit applications a year,” Sheriff Baxter said. “So, all the future people having to do 16 hours of training and live fire training, if you do the math that adds up pretty quickly. The capacity issue we have to get all this training done as best we can.” 

“For Monroe County, we’ve posted our new updated state forms which we received a few days ago,” Jamie Romeo, the Monroe County Clerk, said. “The issue I think most applicants are going to have now is where are those trainers?”  

Under state law, a “duly authorized instructor” is anyone currently an officer in any branch of the U.S Military. Or a “certified instructor in small arms practice issued by the U.S Military or National Rifle Association,” but these courses can cost hundreds of dollars.  

“They’re going to have to decide where I put my money?” Jenkins argued. “Let’s say it’s a $350 course, that’s still a lot of money. Then $130 extra to pay for the application for the county. This is going to price a lot of people out and you’re going to hear it’s discriminatory.” 

If you already have a concealed carry permit, you do not have to sign up for these courses to hold onto your permit. Businesses must post notices of consent on their doors and windows if they allow permit holders to carry a gun onto their property.