Connecticut General Statutes Section 53-202 establishes the legal framework governing machine guns in the state, including definitions, registration requirements, penalties, and exceptions.[1]
Definition
"Machine gun" applies to any weapon of any description, by whatever name known, that shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot automatically more than one projectile without manual reloading by a single function of the trigger. The definition includes the frame or receiver of any such weapon, any part designed and intended solely and exclusively, or any combination of parts designed and intended, for use in converting a weapon into a machine gun, and any combination of parts from which a machine gun can be assembled.[1]
Registration Requirements
Every machine gun in Connecticut must be registered with the office of the Commissioner of DESPP:[1]
- Initial registration: Within 24 hours of acquisition
- Annual renewal: On July 1 of each year
The registration application must include the model and serial number of the gun, the name, address, and occupation of the person in possession, and from whom and the purpose for which the gun was acquired.
Confidentiality
Registration data is not subject to inspection by the public.[1]
Presumption of Offensive Purpose
Any person who fails to register a machine gun as required shall be presumed to possess the weapon for an offensive or aggressive purpose. This is a critical provision because possession for offensive or aggressive purpose carries the harshest penalties under the statute.[1]
Penalties
The penalties for machine gun offenses are severe:[1]
- Possession for offensive or aggressive purpose: 5 to 10 years imprisonment and/or a fine of $1,000
- Use during a violent crime: 10 to 20 years imprisonment, to be served consecutive to any sentence for the underlying crime
Exceptions
The machine gun restrictions do not apply to:[1]
- Manufacture of machine guns for sale to the United States government or its subdivisions
- Machine guns rendered permanently inoperable by welding and possessed as curiosities or keepsakes
- Machine guns acquired and possessed in accordance with the National Firearms Act (26 USC Chapter 53)
Interaction With Federal Law
Under the federal Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986 (FOPA), no new machine guns may be manufactured for civilian transfer. Only machine guns lawfully registered with the ATF before May 19, 1986, may be possessed by civilians. In Connecticut, machine guns that can only fire fully automatic are additionally restricted -- they are legal only if possessed prior to April 4, 2013, and registered with DESPP by January 1, 2014.[2]
ATF revised the federal regulatory definition of "machinegun" under 27 CFR 478.11 and 27 CFR 479.11 effective May 6, 2026, in response to the Supreme Court's 2024 decision in Garland v. Cargill.[3][4] The federal change does not narrow Connecticut's independent state-law definition. CGS 53-202 reaches any weapon "designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot automatically more than one projectile without manual reloading by a single function of the trigger," plus "any combination of parts designed and intended ... for use in converting a weapon into a machine gun." That language continues to cover auto-sears (commonly called "Glock switches"), forced-reset triggers, and similar conversion devices regardless of how the federal definition is drawn at any given time. Federal NFA registration remains required for items federally classified as machine guns, and CGS 53-202 registration with DESPP remains required for items meeting the state definition.[1]
Sources
[1] CGS 53-202 -- Machine guns (Justia)
Title 53, Chapter 943, 53-202