I’ve described New York City as being one of the most gun controlled cities in the world. In fairness, it’s not as gun controlled as a lot of other places, but the level of regulation on firearms is ridiculous by American standards.

For many of us, we know how bad it can actually be to try and own a gun in the Big Apple.

Fox News just laid out some of it for the average American to take a look at.

So, how hard is it for a regular New Yorker to obtain a concealed carry permit (CCW)? Next to impossible.

“New York City is one of the most restrictive CCW jurisdictions in the country, and it is very hard to get. On average it takes between six and nine months. It’s recommended that one use an attorney who is experienced in the process,” Nino Bosaz, the New York-based editorial director of Athlon Outdoors, told Fox News. “The initial application usually results in a denial that must then be appealed. The city does not generally recognize an individual right to carry outside the home, and tie the carry license to a business, where the applicant must prove a ‘justifiable need’ to carry concealed.”

And what exactly constitutes a “justifiable need?” There are really only three ways for a law-abiding New York City resident to obtain a CCW handgun license, experts note.

“No. 1 is proof that you regularly carry a significant amount of cash or jewelry as part of your business and can document it to the NYPD’s satisfaction,” Bosaz explained. “No. 2 is a recent, documented death threat that NYPD deems credible. The death-threat justification seems to be a completely subjective decision that many observers would make different conclusions on.”

No. 3, Bosaz says, is to be what the governing authority classified as a celebrity.

In other words, you normal folks shouldn’t even bother asking.

New York City is the epitome of why “may issue” permitting laws are so incredibly problematic. In fact, the problem isn’t unique to New York. New Jersey gun owners have a similar problem. Folks there can’t get their hands on gun permits either. Hell, I’ve had some who say they carry a large amount of cash and they can’t get a permit.

While anti-gunners routinely argue that “shall issue” laws are all kinds of problematic, the truth is that the right to bear arms means that everyone has the right until and unless they show they don’t deserve it. Shall issue laws try to address this in the most equitable way.

In places like New York City, those laws turn the right to bear arms into a privilege, something you must ask the government for their permission before you can do it.

Of course, this can lead to corruption. In fact, it has.

Once bureaucrats can decide who gets to exercise a right and who doesn’t, there is an increased risk for someone offering a little something for making sure an application is approved. Bureaucrats are often known for arguing they don’t make nearly enough money, so is it hard to imagine this being a thing?

It’s time to really end the whole “may issue” thing once and for all. As it stands, permits in New York City and other such places might as well be fiction for all the good they do the average citizen.