New Yorkers who received a pistol permit before January 2013 have roughly a year to get recertified.

"I can't even imagine what it's going to be like. The phones are going to be ringing off the hook. I can see it being a nightmare," said Niagara County Clerk Joseph Jastrzemski , a Republican.

Under New York's SAFE Act, licenses must be renewed every five years. The process starts for the first time in 2017.

"We haven't been offered any guidance from the state. The only guidance that we've received from the state is that the state police is supposed to handle this," said Jastrzemski.

In late September, New York State Police and the State Association of County Clerks met to talk about the provision. Jastrzemski says he left the meeting with more questions than answers.

"What were told is, you're going to go to a website. You can either register online on that website or you can download, get a paper trail," said Jastrzemski.

He says one of his main concerns, is that many of the 32,000 permit holders in his largely rural county, may not have access to dependable internet.

State Police said people will also be able to recertify by mail.

In a statement, a spokesperson said: "We have been communicating our progress to the county clerks, and we will provide the clerks and permit holders with specifics once the process is finalized. We will ensure that those permit holders who must recertify by January 31, 2018 will have a clear and easy path to do so."

"I'm not here to knock the state police because they're trying to do the best they can and I don't know even how much they were consulted before this bill was passed," said State Sen. Rob Ortt, a Republican.

But Ortt said it is natural for county clerks, who typically oversee the permitting process, to have concerns.

"First and foremost, we have to call on the governor's office and on the superintendent of state police to really give a detailed plan, frequently asked questions kind of a thing, to the county clerks and to the locals," said Ortt.

Jastrzemski says he has a responsibility to his constituents.

"I'm pledging that I'm going to do my utmost best to get the word out in any way possible," said Jastrzemski.