CGS 29-35:
Carrying Without a Permit Prohibited

Connecticut General Statutes Section 29-35 establishes two distinct prohibitions. It prohibits carrying a pistol or revolver without a valid permit, and since October 1, 2023, it prohibits knowingly carrying any firearm with intent to display it.^[1] The 2023 amendment under HB 6667 banned open carry statewide, subject to statutory exceptions for property, firearm training, bona fide hunting activity and other specified activities.^[2]

Prohibition on Carrying Without a Permit

Subsection (a)(1) prohibits any person from carrying a pistol or revolver on their person without a valid permit issued under CGS 29-28. The prohibition applies everywhere outside the person's dwelling house, land they own or lease, or their place of business, subject to the exceptions in subdivision (3) of subsection (a).^[1]

Permit holders must carry their permit on their person while carrying a pistol or revolver. The holder must present the permit upon the request of a law enforcement officer who has reasonable suspicion of a crime, for purposes of verifying the validity of the permit or identifying the holder, provided the officer has observed that the holder is carrying a pistol or revolver.^[1]

Penalty for Carrying Without a Permit

Carrying a pistol or revolver without a permit is a Class D felony under CGS 29-37(b), punishable by up to five years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $5,000.^[3] In the absence of any mitigating circumstances as determined by the court, one year of the sentence imposed may not be suspended or reduced by the court, and the court must specifically state the mitigating circumstances, or the absence thereof, in writing for the record.^[3] Any pistol or revolver found in the possession of a person in violation of subsection (a) of CGS 29-35 shall be forfeited.

Open Carry Ban (HB 6667, 2023)

Subsection (a)(2), added by HB 6667 (Public Act 23-53) effective October 1, 2023, prohibits any person from knowingly carrying any firearm with the intent to display it.^[4] This provision bans open carry outside the statutory exceptions described below. The key elements of this prohibition are:

• The person must be knowingly carrying the firearm
• The person must have intent to display the firearm
• A person is not deemed to be carrying a firearm with intent to display it if the person has taken "reasonable measures to conceal" the fact that the person is carrying a firearm^[1]
• Neither a "fleeting glimpse" of a firearm nor an imprint of a firearm visible through clothing ("printing") constitutes a violation^[4]

On March 2, 2026, U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall granted summary judgment for the defendant in We the Patriots, Inc. v. Doyle, a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the open carry ban and the bulk purchase limit under the Second Amendment. The court found no plaintiff had standing to challenge the commercial handgun sale limit, but held that one individual plaintiff had standing to challenge the open carry ban. The court rejected that open carry challenge on the merits and held the ban constitutional.^[5]

Exceptions to the Open Carry Ban

The open carry prohibition does not apply to a person who is:

• Within their dwelling house, on land they lease, own or otherwise possess, or within their place of business
• Engaged in bona fide hunting activity
• Engaged in firearm training at a firing range, training facility, fish and game club, or sporting club
• Explicitly permitted by another person to carry a firearm with intent to display it within that person's dwelling house or place of business, or on land that person leases, owns, or otherwise possesses
• A parole officer or peace officer of this state, a parole officer or peace officer of any other state while engaged in the pursuit of official duties, or a member of the armed forces of the United States or of the state when on duty or going to or from duty
• A security guard or other person employed to protect public or private property, while performing or traveling to or from those duties
• A person carrying a firearm as a necessary part of an honor guard or a historic reenactment
• A bail enforcement agent licensed under CGS 29-152f to 29-152i

In addition, the statute provides a safe harbor: a person who displays a firearm temporarily while engaged in lawful self-defense or other lawful conduct does not violate the open carry ban.

Penalty for Intentional Display

A violation of the open carry ban (subsection (a)(2)) is a Class B misdemeanor for a first offense and a Class A misdemeanor for any subsequent offense.^[1]

Additional Exceptions

CGS 29-35 provides several exceptions to the carrying-without-a-permit prohibition, including:

• Parole officers and peace officers of this state, and parole officers and peace officers of any other state while engaged in the pursuit of official duties
• Members of the armed forces of the United States or of the state when on duty or going to or from duty, and members of any military organization when on parade or when going to or from any place of assembly
• Transporting an unloaded firearm in its original sale packaging from the place of sale to the purchaser's residence or place of business. In a vehicle, it must not be readily or directly accessible from the passenger compartment or, if there is no separate compartment, in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console.
• Transporting an unloaded firearm from the person's residence or business to a place or person for repair, or returning to that residence or business after repair. In a vehicle, it must not be readily or directly accessible from the passenger compartment or, if there is no separate compartment, in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console.
• Transporting an unloaded firearm in or through Connecticut for competitions, firearm training, repairing the firearm or attending any meeting or exhibition of an organized collectors' group, if the person is a bona fide U.S. resident permitted to possess and carry a firearm in the state or subdivision where they reside. In a vehicle, it must not be readily or directly accessible from the passenger compartment or, if there is no separate compartment, in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console.
• Persons transporting an antique pistol or revolver, as defined in CGS 29-33

Reporting Requirements

By February 1, 2025, and annually thereafter, each law enforcement unit must submit a report to the Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy at the University of Connecticut concerning any stops conducted on suspicion of a violation of the open carry prohibition.^[1] The reports are submitted on a standardized form that allows compilation of statistics on each incident, including, but not limited to, the race and gender of the person stopped.

See also: Open Carry Ban (HB 6667, 2023)

See also: HB 6667 (2023): Connecticut's Omnibus Gun Reform Explained