It's that time of the year again... continuing ed and gun permits... blah, blah, blah...
Was texting back and forth with my cousin Marie and gal pal Stacey. I've been explaining to people why I can't come out to play this week end. In New York City you have to renew your full carry gun permits every three years. If you're into real estate you have to do continuing education classes every two years. If you have a chauffeur's license you have to do your defensive driving class every three years... If you're into a bunch of stuff like I am you may find yourself having to periodically pause your life to take class after mandatory class after mandatory class to keep the government happy (LOL).
I need a new executive protection certificate (mandatory handgun safety class and awesome firing range is included - seriously). Retired law enforcement officers who want to take their firearms across state lines under a full carry permit have to prove they've kept up with their skills and changes in the laws. Here's the Federal Law that lets us do this. This PDF link is to the Act that may be cited as the ‘‘Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act Improvements Act of 2010’’. Section (4) makes us do this hone your skills stuff yearly.
Here's the fun government quote for people who have no idea how expensive keeping one's loved ones safe can be, ‘‘(4) during the most recent 12-month period, has met, at the expense of the individual, the standards for qualification in firearms training for active law enforcement officers, as determined by the former agency of the individual, the State in which the individual resides or, if the State has not established such standards, either a law enforcement agency within the State in which the individual resides or the standards used by a certified firearms instructor that is qualified to conduct a firearms qualification test for active duty officers within that State..."
The original Legislative Bill is H.R.218 which is really cool because they passed it in 2004 when I retired. They amended Chapter 44 of Title 18, United States Code, to exempt qualified current and former law enforcement officers from State laws prohibiting the carrying of concealed handguns. Mind you now, there is a whole list of places no civilian is allowed to take a firearm so I and people like me have to keep up with the rules and restrictions or us retired/separated service peeps may find ourselves in a heap of trouble by doing something as simple as going to the wrong park to picnic at.
At least my 45 hour NY broker's class is good for eight years. If I had to do that every single year I might get really cranky (LOL). Now I have to figure out how many years you get to toll for the NJ, PA, SC, TX and KY broker classes. If I time them wrong I'm going to ruin more week ends like this one (because a lot is overlapping for the next eight days, effectively putting me on educational lock down). Keeping up with training expiration dates can be exhausting sometimes...
If you are not careful they might sneak up on you while you are obsessing over other fun projects you hate to put on hold. When that happens you may find yourself screeching to an unexpected halt only to trash the file cabinets tossing files like a lunatic looking for heaven knows what.
My NYPD appointment was so last minute that I had to high-jack my neighbor who is a notary. She did her paralegal stint at York (I'm a Blackstone chick) and thought she was driving me to the train station only to discover she was actually going with me to One Police Plaza in Manhattan. Poor chicka was notarizing my applications on the side of the road in front of the federal court house between fussing at me for acting like a three year old for not calling her in the morning. Manhattan during pre-rush hour still kinda sucks. That place becomes a cabbie magnet for the work force going home (LOL).
P.S. She doesn't EVER drive into Manhattan so I made her do me a really huge favor.
P.P.S. Expect a blog about the payback later because she will be calling in that marker with a vengeance... (Yeah, I am sooooooo screwed - but I digress - LOL). ;-)
I've been tossing my files all morning trying to figure out why I can find my marriage license and birth certificate but can't find my social security card. Bummer... I hope I didn't accidentally shred it. I've been cleaning out the old files to make room for the 2011 projects. Now I have to Google the Social Security Administration for an address and show up next week to fill out forms to get a new card. I hope I find it before Monday because it was really stupid of me not to put it back where it belongs. That dumb mistake puts my administrative bucket list out of wack for at least four to six weeks. Waiting is going to drive me crazy... I have a very tight renewal schedule and can't afford the delay because it's time for another AR road trip.
Wait... it's the SSA... six to eight weeks may be a bit more reasonable assumption because they are swamped with new-born baby duty from the never ending flood of hospital applications (LOL). ;-)
I guess that means I might have my new cards and permits when I get back from hanging out with Melodious in TX. If God smiles on me maybe I'll see some progress before I hit FL. Shorty is turning five. I gotta get to my guy pies. I miss the wee people.
My house sitter is going to have her hands full with my mail collection from hell when I do cut out to see the family. I shall have to acquire some really nice wee people trinkets to share when I get back. We've been thinking about taking a run down I-95 together. If we do I will need a new house sitter (LOL). ;-)
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