Disqualifying Misdemeanors for Permit Eligibility

Connecticut General Statutes Section 29-28(c) establishes the eligibility requirements for obtaining a State Pistol Permit. While felony convictions are a well-known disqualifier, the statute also identifies specific misdemeanor offenses that bar an individual from obtaining or holding a firearms permit.^[1]

The Disqualifying Misdemeanor List

Under CGS 29-28(c), as amended by Public Act 25-43, an applicant is ineligible for a permit to carry pistols and revolvers after a conviction under any of the following misdemeanor statutes. The listed offenses other than CGS 21a-279 have an eight-year lookback period. The CGS 21a-279 bar covers an applicant who has been convicted of a misdemeanor violation of that section on or after October 1, 2015.^[1]

Statute	Offense	Classification
CGS 21a-279	Illegal possession of a controlled substance (other than cannabis)	Class A misdemeanor
CGS 53a-58	Criminally negligent homicide	Class A misdemeanor
CGS 53a-61	Assault in the third degree	Class A misdemeanor
CGS 53a-61a	Assault of an elderly, blind, disabled or pregnant person or a person with intellectual disability in the third degree	Class A misdemeanor
CGS 53a-62	Threatening in the second degree	Class A misdemeanor, except that a violation of subsection (a)(3) is a Class D felony
CGS 53a-63	Reckless endangerment in the first degree	Class A misdemeanor
CGS 53a-96	Unlawful restraint in the second degree	Class A misdemeanor
CGS 53a-175	Riot in the first degree	Class A misdemeanor
CGS 53a-176	Riot in the second degree	Class B misdemeanor
CGS 53a-178	Inciting to riot	Class A misdemeanor
CGS 53a-181d	Stalking in the second degree	Class A misdemeanor

The drug offense disqualifier under CGS 21a-279 applies to convictions for violations committed on or after October 1, 2015.^[2]

Out-of-State Misdemeanor Convictions (Effective October 1, 2025)

Public Act 25-43 (HB 7042), effective October 1, 2025, expanded the disqualifying misdemeanor provisions to include convictions from other states and jurisdictions.^[6] Before this amendment, the enumerated misdemeanor provisions named Connecticut offenses, while a separate bar already applied to applicants prohibited under federal domestic-violence law. Under the amended statutes, a misdemeanor conviction in another state, a federal, tribal or military court, or any foreign jurisdiction during the preceding eight years can bar a State Pistol Permit, Handgun Eligibility Certificate, or Long Gun Eligibility Certificate if a reasonable reviewer would believe it involved violence causing physical injury, extreme indifference to human life creating a risk of serious physical injury, criminal negligence causing death other than by motor vehicle, physical threats or a course of conduct causing reasonable fear for safety, engaging in or inciting a riot, or specified drug possession. The drug category excludes possession of less than four ounces of cannabis, less than one-half ounce of psilocybin or nicotine.^[7]

This change has practical consequences for several groups:

• New residents: Persons who have moved to Connecticut from another state and have prior misdemeanor convictions should review whether a conviction falls within the amended law's eight-year period and specified conduct categories before applying for a firearms permit
• Current permit holders: Existing permit holders convicted of an out-of-state misdemeanor that triggers the amended disqualification must have their permit revoked
• Applicants with multi-state histories: The amended provision covers qualifying misdemeanor convictions from another state, a federal, tribal or military court, or any foreign jurisdiction during the preceding eight years

The amended law asks whether a reasonable reviewer would believe the out-of-state misdemeanor falls within its specified conduct categories. Applicants who are uncertain whether a conviction qualifies should consult a licensed attorney before submitting a permit application.

The Eight-Year Lookback Period

The specified Connecticut misdemeanor offenses and qualifying out-of-state misdemeanors have an eight-year lookback period under Public Act 25-43. A conviction outside that period does not trigger those particular bars. The separate bars for convictions for CGS 21a-279 violations committed on or after October 1, 2015, and designated family violence misdemeanors are not limited by that eight-year period.^[1] The eight-year limits on those conviction bars do not remove the separate requirement that the applicant be a suitable person to receive a permit.

Family Violence Crimes

In addition to the enumerated misdemeanors listed above, CGS 29-28(c) disqualifies any person convicted of a misdemeanor that is designated as a "family violence crime" pursuant to CGS 46b-38h, as defined in CGS 46b-38a. The definition requires an act of family violence against a family or household member as an element of the crime and also includes specified violations of release conditions or court orders issued for family violence. It excludes delinquent acts and acts by parents or guardians disciplining minor children unless those acts constitute abuse. Verbal abuse or argument alone does not qualify unless there is present danger and the likelihood of physical violence.^[1] The family violence disqualifier operates independently of the specific misdemeanor list and may capture offenses not otherwise enumerated in the statute.

Federal Disqualifiers

Connecticut applicants must also satisfy federal eligibility requirements under 18 U.S.C. Section 922(g). Federal law prohibits firearms possession by persons convicted of a "misdemeanor crime of domestic violence" as defined under federal law, which may differ from Connecticut's state-level definitions. A conviction that does not appear on Connecticut's disqualifying list may still bar possession under federal law.^[3]

Impact on Existing Permit Holders

The disqualifying misdemeanor provisions apply not only to new applicants but also to current permit holders. Under CGS 29-32, the commissioner must revoke a state or temporary state pistol permit upon a conviction or other event that disqualifies the holder under CGS 29-28(c), including a qualifying out-of-state misdemeanor under the amendment effective October 1, 2025. The commissioner is required to revoke a state or temporary state pistol permit upon such a disqualifying conviction.^[1] A person whose conviction makes them ineligible to possess firearms generally has two business days to lawfully transfer all firearms to an eligible person, including a licensed dealer, or deliver or surrender them to the commissioner or a local police department acting on the commissioner's behalf. Qualifying restraining or protective orders, including foreign orders of protection, require compliance immediately, within 24 hours, and allow transfers only by sale to a federally licensed firearms dealer.

Eligibility Certificates and Ammunition Certificates

Public Act 25-43 applies the amended misdemeanor bars to Handgun Eligibility Certificates (CGS 29-36f) and Long Gun Eligibility Certificates (CGS 29-37p). Ammunition certificates use the long-gun eligibility standard through CGS 29-38n, but its misdemeanor exception makes a conviction disqualifying only if the violation was committed on or after July 1, 2013. A pistol-permit disqualification therefore does not automatically establish ineligibility for every certificate.^[4]

Appealing a Denial

An applicant who is denied a permit based on a disqualifying misdemeanor may appeal to the Board of Firearms Permit Examiners (BFPE) within 90 days after receiving notice of the denial. The BFPE determines the facts anew, including facts relevant to whether the cited misdemeanor conviction triggers the applicable statutory bar, and decides whether the denial was for just and proper cause. The state audit of fiscal years 2022 and 2023 reported that, as of March 13, 2024, 1,203 appeals remained unheard and hearings were scheduled through March 2026.^[5]

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