Richard Moody is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media state and local officials are calling on Governor Andrew Cuomo to extend the deadline to recertify pistol permits as the cutoff gets closer. The SAFE Act requires recertification of pistol permits every five years. People who received a pistol permit before Jan. 15, 2013, have until January 31 to recertify. Several Republican state lawmakers from western New York, all staunch opponents of the SAFE Act, have called on the governor to extend the deadline, arguing it would provide local officials the appropriate amount of time needed to process the recertifications. “An extension would absolutely help,” said Columbia County Clerk Holly Tanner. Tanner and other members of the state County Clerks Association have a meeting scheduled with Cuomor’s staff Thursday to discuss the possibility of extending the deadline. The county clerk's office handles pistol permit certifications for Columbia County, while Greene County Sheriff Greg Seeley’s office handles pistol certifications for Greene County. Seeley did not return multiple calls for comment Monday. Note: Tanner is a WGXC programmer. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.