There are certain exceptions to the rule where celebrities and upper class are concerned. There are those non residents that are granted permits. NYS has published a data base with the list of names of all who have been granted a pistol permit in the entire state. It reads like a list of who's who that includes some of the most elitist anti gun people you could imagine. They even list their address and at times what bank holds their mortgage.
[Check out the website
www.whospackingny.com and see for yourself. By the way NY does not allow you to possess full auto class 3 weapons, though even in that case involving a chosen few they have, but I don't know of any list. --
Link doesn't work and apparently the site was taken down about a year ago.]