CGS 29-28:
State Pistol Permit and Retail Permit

Connecticut General Statutes Section 29-28 governs both the permit to carry pistols and revolvers and the permit for the sale at retail of firearms in the state.^[1] Under the two-step permit system this statute establishes, the local permitting authority issues a temporary state permit and the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection issues the state permit. The local permitting authority also issues the permit for the sale at retail of firearms. The Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP) handles state pistol permits through its Special Licensing and Firearms Unit (SLFU).^[2]

Permit for Sale at Retail

Subsection (b) of CGS 29-28 authorizes the local permitting authority to issue a permit for the sale at retail of firearms within its jurisdiction in a form prescribed by the Commissioner of DESPP. Subsection (a) defines the local permitting authority as the chief of police or, where there is no chief of police, the chief executive officer of the municipality (or, if designated by that officer, the resident state trooper or a state police officer). A person who sells ten or more firearms in a calendar year or is a federally licensed firearm dealer must obtain this permit to sell pistols or revolvers at retail in Connecticut. A local retail permit originally issued before October 1, 2001, expires five years after it becomes effective, and each renewal expires five years after the prior permit expires. The retail permit carries a $200 fee for both the original issuance and each renewal.^[3] No permit for the sale at retail of firearms may be issued unless the applicant holds a valid eligibility certificate for a pistol or revolver issued under CGS 29-36f or a valid state permit to carry a pistol or revolver, and submits documentation sufficient to establish that local zoning requirements have been met for the location where the sale is to take place. A person selling or exchanging a pistol or revolver for the enhancement of a personal collection or for a hobby, or selling all or part of a personal collection of pistols or revolvers, does not have to submit the zoning documentation.

Two-Step Pistol Permit Process

Subsection (c) establishes the permit to carry pistols and revolvers, which follows a two-step process:^[5]

• Step 1 -- Temporary State Permit: For a municipal application, the applicant submits the application to the chief of police or, where there is no chief of police, the municipal chief executive officer or a resident state trooper or state police officer designated by that officer. The local permitting authority requires the applicant to submit to state and national criminal history records checks, takes the applicant's fingerprints and a full description, investigates the applicant's suitability, and must find that the applicant is a "suitable person" to receive a permit. The local authority must approve or deny a sufficient application for a temporary state permit within eight weeks. If national criminal history check results have not arrived within that period, CGS 29-29 requires the authority to notify the applicant of the delay in writing.^[4] If approved, the local authority issues a Temporary State Permit, which is valid for 60 days.
• Step 2 -- State Permit: Not later than 60 days after receiving the temporary state permit, the applicant must appear at a location designated by the Commissioner of DESPP to receive the state permit to carry a pistol or revolver. The state permit is valid for five years.^[2]

Eligibility Requirements

To obtain a state or temporary state permit to carry a pistol or revolver under CGS 29-28, an applicant must:

• Be at least 21 years of age
• Not be an alien illegally or unlawfully in the United States
• Have no felony convictions
• Have no convictions for the specified CGS 53a misdemeanors within the preceding eight years, for a misdemeanor violation of CGS 21a-279 on or after October 1, 2015, for a Connecticut misdemeanor designated as a family violence crime, or for a misdemeanor in another state, a federal, tribal or military court or any foreign jurisdiction within the preceding eight years that a reasonable reviewer would believe to constitute one of the crimes listed in CGS 29-28(c)(2)(B)(iv)
• Not be subject to a court-issued protective or restraining order in a case involving the use, attempted use or threatened use of physical force against another person, including an ex parte order under CGS 46b-15 or 46b-16a
• Not have been confined in a hospital for persons with psychiatric disabilities within the preceding sixty months by order of a probate court, and not have been voluntarily admitted on or after October 1, 2013, or committed under an emergency certificate under CGS 17a-502 on or after October 1, 2023, to such a hospital within the preceding six months for care and treatment of a psychiatric disability and not solely for being an alcohol-dependent person or a drug-dependent person
• Not be subject to a firearms seizure order issued before June 1, 2022, under CGS 29-38c after notice and hearing, or a risk protection order or risk protection investigation order issued on or after June 1, 2022, under that section
• Not have been convicted as delinquent for the commission of a serious juvenile offense, as defined in CGS 46b-120
• Not have been discharged from custody within the preceding twenty years after having been found not guilty of a crime by reason of mental disease or defect under CGS 53a-13
• Not be prohibited from shipping, transporting, possessing or receiving a firearm under 18 USC 922(g)(2), (g)(4) or (g)(9)

Training Requirement

Applicants must complete an approved firearms safety course prior to applying. For applications filed on or after July 1, 2024, the course must have been completed no earlier than two years before submission. For an application filed on or after July 1, 2024, the course must be approved by the Commissioner of DESPP in the safety and use of firearms, completed not earlier than two years before the application, and conducted by an instructor certified by the National Rifle Association or by the state. Approved courses may include those certified by the National Rifle Association or other organizations, and every course must include instruction in state law requirements pertaining to safe storage in the home and in vehicles, lawful use of firearms and lawful carrying of firearms in public.^[1] Current permit holders as of July 1, 2024, are not required to complete additional training for renewal.

Suitability Determination

Under CGS 29-28(c), the local permitting authority may issue a temporary state permit if it finds that the applicant intends to make no use of any pistol or revolver other than a lawful use and that the applicant is a suitable person to receive the permit.^[1] The statute does not define "suitable person," and the local permitting authority makes that finding for a temporary state permit. In its 2022 decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, the U.S. Supreme Court described Connecticut as having discretionary criteria but appearing to operate like a "shall issue" jurisdiction.^[5]

Non-Resident Permits

Subsection (g) provides for direct applications for non-resident pistol permits. A bona fide resident of the United States who has no bona fide permanent residence within the jurisdiction of any local permitting authority in Connecticut, but who has a permit or license to carry a pistol or revolver issued by the authority of another state or subdivision of the United States, may apply directly to the Commissioner of DESPP. Subsection (g) applies subsections (c) to (f) to these applications, so the applicant must complete the course in the safety and use of firearms that subsection (c) requires and submit to a state and national criminal history records check, and the commissioner takes the applicant's fingerprints under CGS 29-29. DESPP/SLFU issues the state permit directly to an approved non-resident applicant.^[2]

Confidentiality

CGS 29-28 includes provisions protecting the confidentiality of permit holder information. The name and address of a person issued a permit to sell firearms at retail, a state or temporary state permit to carry a pistol or revolver, or a local permit to carry pistols and revolvers issued before October 1, 2001, are confidential and may not be disclosed, except to law enforcement officials acting in the performance of their duties, to the extent needed to verify under CGS 29-33, 29-37a or 29-38m that a permit is still valid and has not been suspended or revoked, and to the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services to carry out CGS 17a-500(c).^[1]

See also: How to Apply for a Connecticut State Pistol Permit

See also: Connecticut Two-Step Pistol Permit: Local to State

See also: CGS 29-30: Permit Fees, Expiration, and Renewal

See also: Non-Resident Pistol Permit Application Guide

See also: Connecticut Concealed Carry Law