CGS 29-36f to 29-36i:
Handgun Eligibility Certificate

Connecticut General Statutes Sections 29-36f through 29-36i establish the Eligibility Certificate for Pistol or Revolver. For transactions covered by CGS 29-33, a person who lacks a valid State Pistol Permit must hold this certificate or a valid permit to sell firearms at retail, unless the person is a federal marshal, parole officer or peace officer.^[1] The certificate entitles the holder to purchase a firearm and transport it to the holder's residence or place of business. It does not entitle the holder to carry a pistol or revolver on the holder's person.^[2]

Eligibility Requirements (CGS 29-36f)

Section 29-36f establishes who may apply for a Handgun Eligibility Certificate and the disqualifying conditions. An applicant must be at least 21 years of age and a legal resident of the United States.^[1] The Commissioner of DESPP shall issue the certificate unless the applicant:

• Has failed to successfully complete a course approved by the Commissioner in the safety and use of firearms, which for any application filed on or after July 1, 2024, must be completed not earlier than two years before the application is submitted
• Has been convicted of a felony
• Has been convicted of a misdemeanor violation of CGS 21a-279 on or after October 1, 2015, or of any law designated as a family violence crime under CGS 46b-38h
• Has been convicted during the preceding eight years of a misdemeanor violation of CGS 53a-58, 53a-61, 53a-61a, 53a-62, 53a-63, 53a-96, 53a-175, 53a-176, 53a-178 or 53a-181d, or of a misdemeanor in another state, a federal, tribal or military court or any foreign jurisdiction that a reasonable reviewer would believe to constitute a crime described in CGS 29-36f(b)(2)(B)(iv)
• Has been convicted as delinquent for the commission of a serious juvenile offense, as defined in CGS 46b-120
• Has been discharged from custody within the preceding 20 years after being found not guilty of a crime by reason of mental disease or defect
• Has been confined to a hospital for persons with psychiatric disabilities within the preceding 60 months by order of a probate court
• Has been voluntarily admitted to a hospital for persons with psychiatric disabilities on or after October 1, 2013, or committed under an emergency certificate on or after October 1, 2023, within the preceding six months for care and treatment of a psychiatric disability and not solely for alcohol or drug dependence
• Is subject to a restraining or protective order issued by a court in a case involving the use, attempted use or threatened use of physical force against another person, including an ex parte order issued under CGS 46b-15 or 46b-16a
• Is 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 CGS 29-38c
• Is prohibited from shipping, transporting, possessing or receiving a firearm under 18 USC 922(g)(2), (g)(4) or (g)(9)
• Is an alien illegally or unlawfully in the United States

Application Process (CGS 29-36g)

Section 29-36g establishes the application procedure. Applicants must submit a request to the Commissioner of DESPP on prescribed forms and, upon the commissioner's request, provide full information about their criminal record and relevant information about their mental health history.^[3] The Commissioner conducts both state and national criminal history records checks.

Key application requirements include:

• Completion of an approved firearms safety course
• Fingerprints or any other method of positive identification required by the State Police Bureau of Identification or the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and a full-face photograph on the certificate
• Payment of the applicable fees
• Full information about criminal records and relevant information about mental health history, upon the commissioner's request

Within sixty days of receiving the national criminal history records check from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Commissioner must either approve the application and issue the certificate or deny the application. If denied, the applicant receives a written explanation and may appeal to the Board of Firearms Permit Examiners (BFPE) within 90 days.^[4]

The names and addresses of certificate holders are confidential and not subject to public disclosure.^[3]

Fees and Expiration (CGS 29-36h)

Section 29-36h sets the fee at $35 for both the original issuance and each renewal. The certificate is valid for five years from the date it becomes effective, and each renewal is valid for five years from the expiration date of the certificate being renewed.^[2]

Revocation (CGS 29-36i)

Section 29-36i provides that any Handgun Eligibility Certificate shall be revoked by the Commissioner of DESPP upon the occurrence of any event that would have disqualified the holder from being issued the certificate in the first place.^[1] This includes new felony convictions, disqualifying misdemeanor convictions, psychiatric commitments meeting the conditions in CGS 29-36f, or a court-issued restraining or protective order in a case involving the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against another person. The holder is notified in writing and must forthwith deliver the certificate to the Commissioner of DESPP. A person who fails to surrender the certificate within five days of written notification of revocation is guilty of a class A misdemeanor.

Relationship to the State Pistol Permit

A Handgun Eligibility Certificate and a State Pistol Permit serve different functions. The eligibility certificate entitles the holder to purchase a firearm and transport it to the holder's residence or place of business but does not entitle the holder to carry a pistol or revolver on the holder's person, while the pistol permit authorizes both purchase and carry. A person who holds a valid State Pistol Permit does not need an eligibility certificate to purchase a handgun. The pistol permit satisfies the purchase requirement.^[2]

See also: How to Get a Connecticut Handgun Eligibility Certificate