John S. Chambers is dedicated to serving all firearms licensees and license applicants within the City and State of New York. During his more than two decades of practicing law, Mr. Chambers has compiled an impressive list of referrals in the area of firearms licensing cases from the likes of a New York State Supreme Court Justice to a former New York City Police Commissioner. Email inquiries to: John Chambers, Esq. ******************************************************* FORMER NYC POLICE COMMISSIONER WILLIAM BRATTON REFERS A CASE TO ATTORNEY CHAMBERS *************************** Mr. Chambers receives referrals from the National Rifle Association, Pistol Clubs, and New York gun shops/ranges, and many New York attorneys, but finds his most impressive referral source to have been the former NEW YORK CITY POLICE COMMISSIONER, Honorable Police Commissioner William Bratton, who referred a pistol license case to Mr. Chambers' law firm, and in so doing, Commissioner Bratton stated: "Counsel, when I was the Police Commissioner, you were the only attorney beating me." ******************************************************* NEW YORK STATE SUPREME COURT JUSTICE REFERS A HANDGUN LICENSING MATTER TO THE CHAMBERS LAW FIRM. Over the years, Mr. Chambers has commenced numerous Article 78 lawsuits within the New York State Supreme Court. Mr. Chambers' excellent reputation in the area of handgun/firearms' licensing resulted in the referral to his law firm by a currently sitting NEW YORK STATE SUPREME COURT JUSTICE. ******************************************************* MR. CHAMBERS REPRESENTS WELL-KNOWN INDIVIDUALS. When Harry Connick, Jr., was arrested at JFK Airport with an unlicensed handgun in 1992, he retained his entertainment law firm to represent him in Queens Criminal Court. Mr. Connick's entertainment law firm, unfamiliar with this area of expertise, called upon Mr. Chambers' experience in this field, and Mr. Chambers became "Of Counsel" to the criminal case against the entertainer. ******************************************************* Counsel Chambers has represented other notable individuals in connection with pistol licensing issues, but is under an obligation to protect their privacy.	Attorney Chambers says: Never again feel the frustration by the bureacracy of the Pistol License Division. Contact this law firm, an organization with vast experience and knowledge of the intricacies of the New York City Police Department, Pistol License Division, and you can rest assured you will feel at ease with all proceedings you face.
WHY UTILIZE THE SERVICES OF AN ATTORNEY WITH AN EXPERTISE IN THE FIREARMS LICENSING AREA? CAN'T OTHER ATTORNEYS HANDLE THESE KINDS OF MATTERS WITHOUT A PROBLEM?   Even if you personally feel comfortable in reading the Penal Law (and the Rules of the City of New York) pertaining to pistol licensing, and you feel confident because you have perused the NYPD License Division's website, you STILL would not have the total picture, as you are limited in regards to two very important aspects-- 1) the decisional law coming from the NYS Supreme Court in this jurisdiction, and 2) internal policy changes within the NYC Pistol License Division which are not subject to public disclosure requirements, and which can change without any public notice. DECISIONAL LAW.Whilst other attorneys may have litigation experience, or experience with other city agencies, this is an extremely specialized field. Attorneys who do not specialize in this area may not only have very limited access to many of the decisions at the State Supreme Court level, as the majority of these handgun licensing cases are not reported (published) and therefore, are almost impossible for the average attorney to locate, but they are also limited in their knowledge of the changes within the Pistol License Division which cannot be gleaned from either the statute or regulations. Consequently, a non-specialist attorney must rely solely upon the written handgun licensing law, as well the promulgated agency rules-- as well as the "reported" cases. HOW CAN YOU GET THE ENTIRE PICTURE WITHOUT HAVING KNOWLEDGE OF THE GUN CASES DECIDED IN NYS SUPREME COURT? In addition, Mr. Chambers, as a specialist in this area of the law, is in a position to monitor the changes within the Pistol License Division, due purely to the nature of his practice. This is key, because even the non-reported cases do not NOT represent the entire picture. At this point, it is hoped that you start to realize the complexity of the pistol licensing process within the City of New York. It is intended to appear simple; rest assured, it is not. KNOWLEDGE OF INTERNAL CHANGES WITHIN THE LICENSE DIVISION IS CRITICAL. For example, in a reading of all the written law in this area, you (or an attorney, for that matter) would not be informed of any recent changes within the agency NOT found in the statute or the regulations. And, there are too many to even list. Internal policy changes happen all the time within the Pistol License Division. These are not found in any written matter, anywhere. As one example, for years, a licensee could sell his registered handgun without first obtaining "permission" to do so from the PLD, even though the Penal Law makes it a crime to do so, just so long as he notified the PLD promptly after the sale. Mr. Chambers learned, during an administrative hearing for a pistol license, that as of April of 2004, this rule was now being enforced-- this new enforcement, however, was not subject to ANY kind of notice to the public. At that time, the Pistol License Division began a system wherein a licensee now has to telephone the Pistol License Division to obtain permission, and a "number" before he can sell his registered handgun legally. Could you have found this out by calling the PLD? Yes. But that's not always true. And, more importantly, if you have been a licensee for 20 years, and you've sold one or more of your handguns during that time, you know you were NEVER required to make this "pre-sale" notification to the Pistol License Division. The requirement only applied to prompt notification AFTER you sold your licensed handgun. And, if you now act in good-faith reliance upon what the License Division had done for years in regards to not requiring pre-sale notification of a licensed handgun before sale, without being aware that the PLD had dramatically changed it's policy in this regard, you are now in violation of the Rules of the City of New York, Title 38, Chapter 5, as well as the NYS Penal Law. Not only would your license be suspended, and eventually revoked for a failure to abide by the rules and regulations of the License Division, but you could be subject to criminal prosecution. Keep in mind, this was NOT a change in the law, as the law existed for many years BEFORE the Pistol License Division suddenly decided to enforce it. And, when it did, it did not tell the public of this change in policy. Also, this change policy, vis-a-vis enforcement, could NOT be found within any of the agency's rule changes. Instead, this is an internal policy change within the Pistol License Division, with NO public notification, and something that would be very difficult, if not impossible for a licensee to have known about. Needless to say, this lack of knowledge leaves the licensee or applicant in an extremely vulnerable position. In addition, make no mistake about it, the Pistol License Division does not exist to make the process easy for you. Business clients of this law firm, with absolutely no criminal history, who have tried to tackle the process alone before realizing the value of legal assistance from this firm, have reported being made to feel "like a criminal," when faced with what should be a simple task before the Pistol License Division. It is unfortunate, but true: In many ways, the agenda is decidedly against the licensee and applicant. And, keep in mind, even the simplest of procedures, and governmental forms, can be misread, misinterpreted, or mishandled, if you are not represented by a highly experienced attorney in the field who is a litigator, and a former prosecuting attorney.
Put your trust and confidence in a law firm that has specialized in the area of firearms licensing for almost two decades in New York City. *********** Your time is valuable, and you do not want to misstep. Whatever issue you may have concerning the Pistol License Division or Rifle/Shotgun Section of the New York City Police Department, contact an experienced lawyer who can guide you through it, lessening both the frustration, and the possibilty of faltering. *********** BEWARE. DO NOT BE FOOLED BY SOME OF THE SO-CALLED PISTOL LICENSE "CONSULTANTS." The majority of these individuals can do little more for you than type your application. While some provide a valuable service, particularly to those who seek the simpler pistol licenses, such as premise/target, and for those without arrests in their backgrounds, most are nothing more than typing services. Keep in mind, they will not allowed to appear at Police Headquarters with you--only a licensed attorney in good standing in this jurisdiction can do this--they cannot communicate with any member of the Pistol License Division as your representative, or on your behalf; only you or your attorney can do so. Most do not even know the process except from an extremely limited viewpoint. Many advertise that they have vast experience in this area. For example, there is one company that advertises that they were the owners of a non-New York City gun shop for many years. This is clearly intended to make you feel confident. DON'T BE FOOLED. If they were not NYC gun shop owners, their experience with NYC will be greatly limited. Their experience in gun licensing in a place other than NYC is almost worthless, since NYC gun licensing is governed, not only by the handgun licensing statute, but by the Rules of the City of New York, Title 38. Whereas, elsewhere in New York State, handgun licenses are only governed by the state statute. DO NOT WASTE YOUR HARD EARNED FUNDS ON A GLORIFIED TYPING SERVICE, PARTICULARLY THOSE WHO HAVE NOT BEEN DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO NEW YORK CITY, AND HAVE ONLY BEEN OWNERS IN LONG ISLAND, OR ELSEWHERE OUTSIDE OF NYC. DO NOT BECOME A VICTIM.	Celebrating the Passage of HR 218, The Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2004 What is HR 218? ...an individual who is a qualified law enforcement officer and who is carrying the identification required by subsection (d) may carry a concealed firearm that has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce, subject to subsection (b). For whom does HR 218 apply? This law applies to persons who meet the definition listed below of a "Qualified Law Enforcement Officer." qualified law enforcement officer means an employee of a governmental agency who-- (1) is authorized by law to engage in or supervise the prevention, detection, investigation, or prosecution of, or the incarceration of any person for, any violation of law, and has statutory powers of arrest; (2) is authorized by the agency to carry a firearm; (3) is not the subject of any disciplinary action by the agency; (4) meets standards, if any, established by the agency which require the employee to regularly qualify in the use of a firearm; (5) is not under the influence of alcohol or another intoxicating or hallucinatory drug or substance; and (6) is not prohibited by Federal law from receiving a firearm.
Support the National Rifle Association.