I did my CCW initially in Erie County, took damn near 6 months with the friggin' County bureaucracy, but all my copper buddies ran all my prints and background checks. The interview was with a Judge that I knew, so mine consisted of sitting around BSing about gubs.
The judge packed the heat too
NYS is the straight up debil when it comes to carry permits, granted your more rural counties are better than your more urban/sub-urban counties.