Privately Selling a Firearm
A private seller is required to obtain an authorization number from the Connecticut Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection.[1]
Prohibited from Buying
A Permit or a Handgun Eligibility Certificate is required to buy a firearm in Connecticut.[2] A person is prohibited from purchasing a firearm if that person:[3]
- has been convicted of (A) a felony committed before, on, or after October 1, 2013, (B) a misdemeanor violation [4] committed on or after October 1, 2015, or (C) a misdemeanor violation[5] committed during the preceding twenty years;
- has been convicted as delinquent for the commission of a serious juvenile offense;[6]
- has been discharged from custody within the preceding twenty years after having been found not guilty of a crime because of mental disease or defect;[7]
- (A) has been confined before October 1, 2013, in a hospital for persons with psychiatric disabilities,[8] within the preceding twelve months by order of a probate court, or has been confined on or after October 1, 2013, in a hospital for persons with psychiatric disabilities, within the preceding sixty months by order of a probate court, or, concerning any person who holds a valid permit or certificate that was issued or renewed[9] in effect before October 1, 2013, such person has been confined in such hospital within the preceding twelve months, or
- (B) has been voluntarily admitted on or after October 1, 2013, to a hospital for persons with psychiatric disabilities 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;[10]
- knows that such a person is subject to
- (A) a restraining or protective order of a court of this state that has been issued against such person after notice has been provided to such person in a case involving the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against another person, or
- (B) a foreign order of protection,[11] that has been issued against such person in a case involving the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against another person;
- knows that such person is subject to a firearms seizure order issued before June 1, 2022,[12] after notice and an opportunity to be heard has been provided to such person,
- or a risk protection order or risk protection investigation order issued on or after June 1, 2022;
- is prohibited from shipping, transporting, possessing, or receiving a firearm;[13] or
- is an alien illegally or unlawfully in the United States. For this section, “convicted” means having a judgment of conviction entered by a court of competent jurisdiction.
Concealed Carry
How to Apply
The age requirement to carry a concealed firearm in Connecticut is 21.
- Complete a firearms safety training course that meets legal requirements.[16]
- Obtain, complete, and submit a State Permit to Carry Firearms at the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP) Headquarters or a satellite office.
- Pay the $70 application fee.[17]
- Pass a background check.
- The issuing authority will approve or deny the application within eight weeks of receiving it.
Reciprocity
Connecticut does not recognize concealed carry licenses issued by other states but allows nonresidents with out-of-state licenses to apply for their own permit in Connecticut.[18]
Sources
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-33c
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-33b
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-217c
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 21a-279
- Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 53a-58, 53a-61, 53a-61a, 53a-62, 53a-63, 53a-96, 53a-175, 53a-176, 53a-178, 53a-181d
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46b-120
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-13
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 17a-495
- Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 29-28, 29-38f
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 17a-680
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46b-15a
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-38c
- 18 USC 922(g)(4)
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53-202a
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-31
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-28b
- Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection: State Permit
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-28f