That must have changed because you just need id and can buy B,P. at a gun storeWhen I was living in New York, I got a pistol permit and an explosives license. The pistol permit was good for ONE specific pistol (a Luger, as luck would have it). The explosives license was for black powder. The only reason I was able to get all this legal shit was that I was a GI. <-- And even then they took fingerprints, and side palm prints. TINS.
Later on, in the back country town of Washington, VA, (not DC) I walked in a gun store that had a firing range in the back. Saw a Ruger Single Six for sale. Picked up the box with the shooter in it, gave the guy behind the counter $87.50 in cash and walked out. Same as buying a tire or some shoes.
still the same for pistols