BFPE's 2024 Backlog of 1,203 Cases and Two-Year Delays

A November 2025 state audit of the Board of Firearms Permit Examiners (BFPE) reported 1,203 unheard cases as of March 13, 2024, with hearings scheduled through March 2026.^[1] The audit warned that appellants may be denied their right to a timely hearing.

What Is the BFPE?

The Board of Firearms Permit Examiners is an eight-member board that hears appeals from individuals whose firearms permits have been denied or revoked. All eight members are appointed by the Governor.^[2] At least one member appointed by the Governor must be a lawyer licensed to practice in Connecticut who acts as chairman during appeal hearings. Two members are public members. The board provides an administrative remedy for Connecticut residents challenging permit decisions made by local police departments or the DESPP.^[3]

The Audit Findings

The 2025 government accountability audit found that, as of March 13, 2024, 1,203 cases remained unheard, consisting of 590 permit denials and 613 permit revocations.^[4] Key findings include:

• The board is required by CGS 29-32b to schedule hearings within 10 days of receiving an appeal and hold hearings at least every 90 days^[1]
• The audit reported that the BFPE meets 28 times per year and schedules 28 hearings per meeting^[4]
• Due to case withdrawals and resolutions, the board hears an average of only 12 cases per meeting^[1]
• Case resolutions often come so close to the hearing date that the board cannot schedule replacement cases in time^[4]

A Longstanding Problem

The 2025 audit is not the first to identify this issue. Government accountability audits from 2001 through 2021 consistently flagged the same backlog problem, indicating that the BFPE has been unable to keep pace with incoming appeals for over two decades.^[1]

Constitutional Concerns

A denied or revoked pistol permit can be issued or restored before a BFPE hearing if the local authority reverses its denial or DESPP overturns its revocation.^[1]

The Supreme Court held that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to carry handguns in public for self-defense. It did not rule out constitutional challenges to shall-issue regimes where lengthy wait times in processing license applications deny ordinary citizens their right to public carry.^[5]

Structural Challenges

The audit identified appeal volume and the timing of case resolutions as causes of the backlog.

• Unpaid members: Board members serve without compensation but are entitled to reasonable subsistence and travel allowances in the performance of their duties^[2]
• Volume mismatch: The board receives more annual appeals than it can reasonably process under its current structure^[4]

What This Means for Permit Applicants

The audit’s March 2024 snapshot showed BFPE hearings scheduled through March 2026, indicating a wait of approximately two years for a hearing. Applicants may consult a firearms attorney about whether they may appeal a preliminary, procedural or intermediate agency action or ruling to Superior Court because they appear likely to qualify to appeal from the final agency action or ruling and postponement would result in an inadequate remedy.