Connecticut

Last updated May 3, 2012

In our publication Gun Laws Matter 2012: Understanding the Link Between Weak Laws and Gun Violence, the Law Center ranked each state based on a review of state laws in 29 different firearms-related policy areas. Connecticut ranked 4th out of 50 – having enacted some of the strongest gun violence prevention laws. Among other things, Connecticut:

• Requires a background check prior to the transfer of a handgun between individuals other than licensed firearms dealers;
• Requires a background check for all firearm transfers at gun shows (but not for private transfers of long guns elsewhere);
• Requires handgun dealers to obtain a license, and handgun purchasers to first obtain an eligibility certificate;
• Prohibits the transfer or possession of assault weapons and certain 50 caliber rifles, but not large capacity ammunition magazines;
• Imposes a two-week waiting period on long gun transfers from licensed dealers;
• Acts as a “point of contact” state, conducting its own background checks, rather than relying on the FBI;
• Requires the reporting of all individuals prohibited from possessing firearms to the database used for firearm purchaser background checks;
• Requires firearm owners to report the loss or theft of their firearms;
• Allows local governments to regulate firearms and ammunition; and
• Allows local governments discretion to deny a concealed weapons permit.

Connecticut does not, however,

• Limit the number of firearms that may be purchased at one time;
• Impose design safety standards or microstamping requirements on handguns; or
• Regulate ammunition sales.

In 2009, Connecticut had the fifth lowest rate of gun deaths per capita among the states. (Even this relatively low ranking means that 173 people died from firearm-related injuries in Connecticut in that year.) In addition, based on data published by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, in 2009, Connecticut supplied the tenth lowest number of crime guns to other states per capita. Connecticut exports crime guns at a rate that is less than half the national average.
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Federal law prohibits certain persons from purchasing or possessing firearms, such as felons, certain domestic abusers, and certain people with a history of mental illness. Connecticut has adopted other classes of prohibited persons, and incorporated some of the federal prohibitions as state offenses. State law provides that, subject to certain limited exceptions, no person shall possess a firearm if he or she:

• Has been convicted of a felony;

• Has been convicted as delinquent for the commission of a serious juvenile offense;

• Is subject to a restraining or protective order of any state court, after notice and an opportunity to be heard, or a foreign order of protection, in a case involving the use, attempted use or threatened use of physical force against another person;

• Is subject to a firearms seizure order for posing risk of imminent personal injury to self or others issued after notice and an opportunity to be heard; or

• Is prohibited from shipping, transporting, possessing or receiving a firearm for mental health reasons pursuant to federal law.¹

Connecticut law provides that, subject to certain limited exceptions, no person shall possess a handgun if he or she:

• Has been convicted of a felony (with limited exceptions) or of certain violent or intimidating misdemeanors;

• Has been convicted as a delinquent for the commission of a serious juvenile offense;

• Has been discharged from custody within the preceding 20 years after having been found not guilty of a crime due to mental disease or defect;

• Has been confined in a mental hospital for persons with psychiatric disabilities within the preceding year by order of a probate court;

• Is subject to a restraining or protective order, after notice and an opportunity to be heard, in a case involving the use, attempted use or threatened use of physical force against another person;

• Is subject to a firearms seizure order, issued after notice and an opportunity to be heard, for posing a risk of imminent personal injury to self or others;

• Is prohibited from shipping, transporting, possessing or receiving a firearm for mental health reasons pursuant to federal law; or

• Is an alien illegally or unlawfully in the United States.²

No person, firm, or corporation, including any private (unlicensed) seller, may transfer a handgun to an individual until the person, firm or corporation making such transfer obtains an authorization number from the Connecticut Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection, who must perform a background check to determine whether the applicant is prohibited from possessing a handgun.³ Any person, firm or corporation wishing to sell a long gun at retail must verify through the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection that the transferee is eligible to possess a firearm.⁴

Private firearm transfers (i.e., transfers by individuals other than licensed dealers) of rifles and shotguns that do not occur at a gun show are not subject to background checks in Connecticut. See the Connecticut Private Sales and Connecticut Gun Shows sections.

In Connecticut, a state’s attorney or any two police officers may file a complaint for seizure of a firearm when they have probable cause to believe that: 1) the person poses a risk of imminent personal injury to self or others; 2) the person possesses one or more firearms; and 3) the firearm is within or upon any place, thing or person.⁵ Probable cause may be based on:

• Recent threats or acts of violence directed towards self or others;

• Recent acts of cruelty to animals;

• Reckless use, display or brandishing of a firearm;

• A history of use, attempted use or threatened use of physical force against others;

• Illegal use of controlled substances or abuse of alcohol; or

• Involuntary confinement to a hospital for persons with psychiatric disabilities.

For a list of persons prohibited from obtaining an eligibility certificate for a handgun, see the Connecticut Licensing of Gun Purchasers/Owners section.

See our Prohibited Purchasers policy summary for a comprehensive discussion of this issue.

1. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-217(a). [↩]
2. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-217c(a). [↩]
3. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-33(c). [↩]
4. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-37a. [↩]
5. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-38c(a). [↩]

A person must be at least 21 years old to obtain an eligibility certificate for a handgun.¹

Connecticut prohibits any person from selling, lending, giving, delivering or otherwise transferring any handgun to a person under age 21.² A handgun may be transferred temporarily to a person under age 21 for target shooting or use on a shooting range if under the immediate supervision of a person eligible to possess a handgun.³

There is no minimum age to possess a long gun. A “junior firearms hunting license” may be issued to a child between 12 and 16 years of age.⁴

Connecticut also prohibits any person from transferring, selling or giving a machine gun to a person under age 16, including the temporary transfer of a machine gun to such person for use in target shooting or on a firing or shooting range or for “any other purpose.”⁵

Federal law imposes additional limits.

See our Minimum Age to Purchase / Possess Firearms policy summary for a comprehensive discussion of this issue.

1. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-36f. [↩]
2. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-34(b). [↩]
3. Id. [↩]
4. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 26-27a(1). [↩]
5. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53-202(c). [↩]

(This section was last updated June 26, 2012.)

Connecticut does not prohibit individuals convicted of domestic violence misdemeanors from purchasing or possessing firearms or ammunition, unlike federal law.

Firearm Prohibitions for Persons Subject to Domestic Violence Restraining/Protective Orders

Connecticut prohibits the possession of a firearm by a person who knows that he or she is subject to a restraining or protective order that was issued after notice and an opportunity to be heard in a case involving the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against another person.¹

Connecticut makes a person ineligible for a certificate for a pistol or revolver if that person is subject to a domestic violence restraining or protective order (including an order issued without notice and a hearing) in a case involving the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against such person.² Domestic violence is defined broadly.³

The restraining or protective order application form must allow the applicant, at the applicant’s option, to indicate whether the respondent holds a permit to carry a pistol or revolver or possesses one or more firearms.⁴

Removal or Surrender of Firearms When Domestic Violence Restraining/Protective Orders Are Issued

See the section entitled Disarming Prohibited Persons in Connecticut regarding the firearm surrender requirements when a protective order is issued.

Removal or Surrender of Firearms at the Scene of a Domestic Violence Incident

Whenever a peace officer determines that a “family violence crime” has been committed, such officer may seize any firearm at the location where the crime is alleged to have been committed that is in the possession of any person arrested for the commission of the crime or suspected of its commission or that is in plain view.⁵ The law enforcement agency must return the firearm to the rightful owner not later than seven days after the seizure, unless the person is ineligible to possess the firearm or otherwise ordered by the court.⁶

See our Domestic Violence & Firearms policy summary for a comprehensive discussion of this issue.

1. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-217(a)(3). See also Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-217c(a)(5) for a similar prohibition for “criminal possession of a pistol or revolver.” [↩]
2. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-36f(b)(6). [↩]
3. Any family or household member who has been subjected to a continuous threat of present physical pain or physical injury, stalking or a pattern of threatening, by another family or household member may apply for a restraining or protective order. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46b-15(a). “Family or household member” means:

   • Spouses and former spouses;
   • Parents and their children;
   • Persons related by blood or marriage;
   • Persons presently residing together or who have resided together;
   • Persons who have a child in common regardless of whether they are or have been married or have lived together at any time; and
   • Persons who are in or have recently been in a dating relationship. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46b-38a(2). [↩]

4. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46b-15(b). [↩]
5. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46b-38b(a). [↩]
6. Id. [↩]

(This section was last updated April 19, 2011.)

Persons Falling into State Prohibited Categories

Whenever a person becomes ineligible to possess a firearm, he or she has two business days after the occurrence of the event making him or her ineligible to transfer any firearm in his or her possession to any person eligible to possess firearms.¹ The ineligible person may alternatively transfer the firearm(s) to the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection.² However, pursuant to a law Connecticut adopted in 2011, a person who becomes ineligible because of the issuance of a domestic violence protective order against him or her must transfer any firearm in his or her possession only to a federally licensed firearms dealer or to the Commissioner.³

When an ineligible person has transferred a firearm to the Commissioner, he or she then has a year to sell or transfer the firearm to any eligible person, provided that all other legal requirements for the sale or transfer are met.⁴ A domestic violence protective order defendant may only sell or transfer the firearm to a federally licensed firearms dealer, however.⁵

The Commissioner, in conjunction with the Chief State’s Attorney and the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association, must develop and maintain a protocol to ensure that persons who become ineligible to possess a handgun have transferred the handgun to an eligible person, or have delivered or surrendered the handgun to the Commissioner. The protocol must include specific instructions for the transfer, delivery or surrender of handguns when the assistance of more than one law enforcement agency is necessary to effect these requirements.⁶

Gun Possessors Posing Imminent Risk of Injury

In Connecticut, a state’s attorney or any two police officers may file a complaint for seizure of a firearm when they have probable cause to believe that: 1) the person poses a risk of imminent personal injury to self or others; 2) the person possesses one or more firearms; and 3) the firearm is within or upon any place, thing or person.⁷ Probable cause may be based on:

• Recent threats or acts of violence directed towards self or others;

• Recent acts of cruelty to animals;

• Reckless use, display or brandishing of a firearm;

• A history of use, attempted use or threatened use of physical force against others;

• Illegal use of controlled substances or abuse of alcohol; or

• Involuntary confinement to a hospital for persons with psychiatric disabilities.⁸

The judge may then issue a warrant commanding a proper officer to search that person, place, or thing, and take any and all firearms into custody.⁹ The court must hold a hearing no later than 14 days after execution of the warrant to determine whether the seized firearms should be returned to the person named in the warrant.¹⁰ If the court finds by clear and convincing evidence that the person poses a risk of imminent personal injury to himself or herself or others, it may order the state to continue to hold the firearms for up to one year.¹¹

1. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-36k(a). [↩]
2. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-36k(a). [↩]
3. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-36k(a). [↩]
4. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-36k(b). [↩]
5. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-36k(b). [↩]
6. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-36n. [↩]
7. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-38c(a). [↩]
8. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-38c(b). Any person whose firearms have been ordered seized under this statute, or his or her legal representative, may transfer the firearms in accordance with the provisions of Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-33 or other applicable state or federal law, to any person eligible to possess firearms. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-38c(e). [↩]
9. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-38c(a). [↩]
10. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-38c(d). [↩]
11. Id. [↩]

Federal law requires federally licensed firearms dealers (but not private sellers) to initiate a background check on the purchaser prior to sale of a firearm. Federal law provides states with the option of serving as a state “point of contact” and conducting their own background checks using state, as well as federal, records and databases, or having the checks performed by the FBI using only the federal National Instant Criminal Background Check System (“NICS”) database. (Note that state files are not always included in the federal database.)

Connecticut is a point-of-contact state for NICS. In Connecticut, all firearms transfers by licensed dealers are processed through the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (“DESPP”).¹

In Connecticut, a person, firm or corporation who seeks to sell a long gun at retail or a handgun (whether a licensed dealer or private seller) must:

• Have the transferee complete a written application and retain the application for at least 20 years or until he or she goes out of business;

• Make the application available for inspection during normal business hours by law enforcement;

• Transfer only to a transferee he or she knows personally or who presents appropriate identification (handguns only);

• Obtain an authorization number from DESPP; and

• Wait two weeks from the date of application before transferring the firearm (long guns only).²

DESPP must “make every effort,” including a search of NICS, to determine if the applicant is eligible to receive such firearm.³

Unlicensed individuals also may not transfer a handgun until the person, firm or corporation making the transfer obtains an authorization number – following a background check on the prospective purchaser – from DESPP.⁴ See the Connecticut Private Sales section. In addition, prior to the transfer of any firearm at a gun show, the transferee must undergo a background check.⁵ See the Connecticut Gun Shows section for more information. Private transfers (i.e., transfers by individuals other than dealers) of rifles and shotguns are not otherwise subject to a background check requirement in Connecticut.

See our Background Checks policy summary for a comprehensive discussion of this issue.

1. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-36l(d)(1). See also Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Instant Criminal Background Check System Participation Map, at http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/nics/general-information/participation-map (last visited Apr. 27, 2012). [↩]
2. Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 29-33, 29-37a(a). [↩]
3. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-37a(a).A [↩]
4. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-33(c). [↩]
5. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-37g(c). [↩]

Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by any person who has been “adjudicated as a mental defective” or involuntarily “committed to any mental institution.”¹ No federal law, however, requires states to report the identities of these individuals to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (“NICS”) database, which the FBI uses to perform background checks prior to firearm transfers.

In Connecticut, the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection must report to the NICS’ Denied Persons File the name, date of birth and physical description of any person prohibited from possessing a firearm, pursuant to federal law.² Connecticut requires its Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and Judicial Department to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the FBI for the purpose of implementing NICS.³

The state Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection is required to verify that a person who seeks an eligibility certificate for a pistol or revolver has not been confined in a hospital for persons with psychiatric disabilities within the preceding 12 months by order of a probate court, by inquiring with the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services to receive a report limited to the commitment status of the person.⁴

The Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services must maintain information on commitment orders by a probate court and shall provide such information to the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection in fulfillment of his or her obligations under Connecticut’s gun laws.⁵

In 2011, Connecticut enacted a law establishing a procedure for an individual prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law for mental health records to petition for relief from the federal prohibition. If the petition is granted, the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection must coordinate the removal or cancellation of the record in NICS, and notify the U.S. Attorney General that the basis of the record no longer applies.⁶

For general information on the background check process and categories of prohibited purchasers or possessors, see the Connecticut Background Checks and Connecticut Prohibited Purchasers Generally sections.

See our Mental Health Reporting policy summary for a comprehensive discussion of this issue.

1. 18 U.S.C. § 922(d)(4). [↩]
2. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-36l(d)(2). [↩]
3. Id. [↩]
4. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-38b(a). [↩]
5. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 17a-500(b). [↩]
6. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-100. [↩]

Connecticut imposes no restrictions on purchases or sales of multiple firearms.

See our Restrictions on Multiple Purchases or Sales of Firearms policy summary for a comprehensive discussion of this issue.

Connecticut requires vendors of pistols and revolvers to maintain records of sales of such guns, including the name, address and occupation of the purchaser, as well as the date of sale and caliber, make, model and manufacturer’s number of each pistols or revolver.¹ The record must be signed by the purchaser and the seller, each in the presence of the other, and must be maintained for a minimum period of six years.²

A separate recordkeeping provision requires any person, firm or corporation selling a pistol or revolver to give a receipt to the purchaser of the handgun containing the name and address of the purchaser, the date of sale, the caliber, make, model and manufacturer’s number of the handgun, a general description of the handgun, the identification number of the purchaser’s permit to carry a handgun, permit to sell a handgun at retail, or eligibility certificate for a handgun, the authorization number for the transfer issued by the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, and the purchaser’s signature.³ The seller must provide a copy of the receipt, within 48 hours of the sale, to the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection and local law enforcement. The seller must retain a copy of this receipt for a minimum period of five years.⁴

For transfers of long guns (rifles and shotguns) at retail, the purchaser must sign in triplicate a receipt for the gun containing his or her name and address, the date of sale, the caliber, make, model and manufacturer’s number of the long gun, and a general description of the gun.⁵ The vendor must transfer one copy of the receipt to the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection and another receipt to the local law enforcement authority within 24 hours of delivery of the gun to the purchaser. The vendor must retain the final receipt with the original purchase application for at least five years.⁶

Finally, any person, firm or corporation who seeks to sell a long gun at retail or a handgun (whether a licensed dealer or private seller) must have the transferee complete a written application and retain the application for at least 20 years or until he or she goes out of business, and must make the application available for inspection during normal business hours by law enforcement.⁷

See our Retention of Firearm Sales and Background Check Records policy summary for a comprehensive discussion of this issue.

1. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-31. [↩]
2. Id. [↩]
3. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-33(e). [↩]
4. Id. [↩]
5. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-37a(b). [↩]
6. Id. [↩]
7. Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 29-33, 29-37a(a). [↩]

Connecticut prohibits any person, firm or corporation from selling a long gun (rifle or shotgun) at retail until two weeks have passed after the date the purchase application is completed.¹ This waiting period does not apply, however, to holders of valid permits to carry handguns, holders of valid hunting licenses, or holders of valid handgun eligibility certificates.²

See our Waiting Periods policy summary for a comprehensive discussion of this issue.

1. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-37a(a). [↩]
2. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-37a(b). [↩]