New Gun Owner Guide to Connecticut Firearms Law

Connecticut's Firearms Regulatory Framework

Connecticut's firearms laws are primarily found in two chapters of the Connecticut General Statutes. Title 29, Chapter 529 governs permits, sales, transfers, and storage, while Title 53, Chapter 943 addresses prohibited weapons including assault weapons and large-capacity magazines.^[1]

The Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP), through the Special Licensing and Firearms Unit (SLFU) of the Connecticut State Police, is responsible for state pistol permits and eligibility certificates and for the oversight and regulation of firearm sale transactions.^[2]

Permits and Certificates You Need

Connecticut generally requires a permit or certificate before a firearm purchase, with statutory exceptions such as handgun purchases by federal marshals, parole officers and peace officers. There are three main credentials:

State Pistol Permit (CGS 29-28): Required to carry a concealed handgun outside your dwelling, land you lease or own, or your place of business, subject to statutory exceptions, and sufficient for purchasing both handguns and long guns. Requires a two-step application process through local police, then DESPP. The statutory permit fee is $140 ($70 local + $70 state), plus the federal criminal history records check cost. Valid for five years.^[3]
Handgun Eligibility Certificate (CGS 29-36f): An accepted credential for purchasing a handgun as an alternative to a pistol permit or a permit to sell firearms at retail. Does not authorize carry. Costs $35 plus the fees for the required state and national criminal history records checks. Valid for five years.^[4]
Long Gun Eligibility Certificate (CGS 29-37p): An accepted credential for purchasing a rifle or shotgun as an alternative to a pistol permit, handgun eligibility certificate or permit to sell firearms at retail. Costs $35 plus the fees for the required state and national criminal history records checks. Valid for five years.^[4]

Safe Storage Is Mandatory

Under Ethan's Law (CGS 29-37i), no person may store or keep a firearm on any premises under that person's control unless the person keeps it in a securely locked box or other container or in a manner which a reasonable person would believe to be secure, or carries it on their person or within such close proximity that they can readily retrieve and use it as if carried. This applies to all firearms, loaded or unloaded, and to any person who stores or keeps a firearm on premises under their control, whether or not minors are present. Every firearm sold at retail in Connecticut must come with a reusable trigger lock, gun lock or gun locking device appropriate for that firearm.^[5]

Open Carry Is Banned

As of October 1, 2023, open carry is prohibited statewide. Exceptions include your dwelling, land you lease, own or otherwise possess, your place of business, firearm training, bona fide hunting, and another person's premises with that person's explicit permission. A person who has taken reasonable measures to conceal the fact that they are carrying a firearm is not deemed to carry it with intent to display it, and neither a fleeting glimpse of a firearm nor an imprint of a firearm through clothing is a violation. Temporary display during lawful self-defense is also permitted. Knowingly carrying a firearm with intent to display it, outside these exceptions, violates CGS 29-35 and is a class B misdemeanor for a first offense and a class A misdemeanor for any subsequent offense under CGS 29-37.^[6]

Prohibited Weapons

Connecticut bans several categories of weapons:

Assault weapons: Defined by a named list and a features-based test (CGS 53-202a). Includes, for example, a semiautomatic centerfire rifle that can accept a detachable magazine and has a folding or telescoping stock, a pistol grip or a flash suppressor, and a semiautomatic firearm other than a pistol, revolver, rifle or shotgun that has an arm brace or other stabilizing brace.^[7]
Large-capacity magazines: Magazines capable of accepting more than 10 rounds are generally banned from sale, transfer and possession (CGS 53-202w), with statutory exceptions including properly declared possession and exclusions for .22 caliber tube feeding devices and tubular magazines in lever-action firearms.^[8]
Ghost guns: Subject to statutory exceptions, Connecticut prohibits possession of a firearm without a serial number unless possession was declared as required or an application for a DESPP serial number is pending.^[9]

Carrying Your Firearm

With a valid State Pistol Permit, you may carry a concealed handgun within the state. However, firearms are prohibited in certain locations even with a permit:

Public and private elementary and secondary schools and school-sponsored activities, subject to statutory exceptions (CGS 53a-217b)
State parks and forests, except as authorized by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies 23-4-1)
Any building in which the chamber of either house of the General Assembly, the official office of any member, officer or employee of the General Assembly or the office of any of its committees is located, or in which a committee of the General Assembly is holding a public hearing, such as the State Capitol and the Legislative Office Building (CGS 2-1e)
Premises where the person who owns or exercises control over the premises prohibits carrying a pistol or revolver (CGS 29-28(f))
All federally prohibited locations (post offices, federal courthouses, etc.)

A pistol permit holder must carry the permit while carrying a pistol or revolver. The holder must present it when an officer who observes the pistol or revolver requests it for permit verification or identification and has reasonable suspicion of a crime.^[11]

Self-Defense Law

Connecticut imposes a duty to retreat before using deadly force if you know you can avoid the need for it by retreating with complete safety. You need not retreat in your dwelling or place of work if you were not the initial aggressor (CGS 53a-19). The statute also exempts specified law-enforcement actions from the retreat requirement. In defense of a person under CGS 53a-19, deadly force is justified only when you reasonably believe the attacker is using or about to use deadly physical force, or inflicting or about to inflict great bodily harm. A separate rule for the defense of premises (CGS 53a-20) allows a person in possession or control of premises, or licensed or privileged to be there, to use deadly force against a trespasser when the person reasonably believes it necessary to prevent an attempt to commit arson or any crime of violence, such as burglary.^[10]

Key Penalties to Know

Connecticut imposes serious penalties for firearms violations:

Carrying a pistol or revolver in violation of the permit requirement is a Class D felony punishable by up to 5 years. One year may not be suspended or reduced unless the court finds mitigating circumstances.^[11]
Knowingly having a pistol or revolver in a vehicle without the required permit, outside a statutory exception, is a Class D felony punishable by up to 5 years.^[12]
Unregistered assault weapon possession generally carries a Class D felony and a one-year mandatory minimum, but a first violation is a Class A misdemeanor when the person presents proof of lawful possession before October 1, 1993, on April 4, 2013, or on June 5, 2023, depending on the type of assault weapon, and has otherwise possessed it in compliance with subsection (f) of section 53-202d.^[13]
A person who violates the safe storage law is guilty of criminally negligent storage of a firearm, a class D felony, when another person obtains the firearm and causes injury or death, unless the firearm was obtained through an unlawful entry and, if stolen, was reported stolen. The person is also strictly liable for damages when a minor, or a resident of the premises who is ineligible to possess a firearm or who poses a risk of imminent personal injury to self or others, obtains the firearm and causes injury or death.^[5]

Staying Current

Public Act 23-53 (Substitute House Bill 6667), An Act Addressing Gun Violence, amended many of Connecticut's firearms statutes in 2023. The DESPP website, the Board of Firearms Permit Examiners, and reputable legal resources should be consulted regularly. When in doubt, consult a Connecticut firearms attorney.^[14]