State Gun Laws

It is illegal under Connecticut state law for a person to have a firearm or ammunition if they have: 

1. a restraining or protective order issued against them from any state in a case involving the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force;
2. been convicted of a felony;
3. been convicted of one of the following misdemeanors against a family or household member, committed on or after October 1, 2023:
   • criminal violation of a protective order;  
   • criminal violation of a restraining order;
   • criminal violation of a standing criminal protective order;
   • assault (1^st, 2^nd degree);
   • assault of an elderly, blind, disabled or pregnant person or a person with intellectual disability (1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd degree);
   • assault of an elderly, blind, disabled or pregnant person or a person with intellectual disability in the second degree with a firearm;
   • assault of a pregnant woman resulting in termination of pregnancy;
   • assault in the second degree with a firearm;
   • threatening (2^nd degree);
   • reckless endangerment (1^st and 2^nd degree);
   • strangulation or suffocation (1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd degree);
   • sexual assault (1^st degree);
   • aggravated sexual assault (1^st degree);
   • sexual assault (2^nd, 3^rd degree);
   • aggravated sexual assault of a minor;
   • sexual assault in the third degree with a firearm;
   • stalking (1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd degree);
   • harassment (1^st and 2^nd degree);
   • breach of the peace in the second degree; or
   • disorderly conduct;
4. been convicted of illegal possession of a controlled substance other than cannabis on or after October 1, 2015;
5. been convicted of any of the following misdemeanors within the past eight years:
   • criminally negligent homicide;
   • assault in the third degree;
   • assault of an elderly, blind, disabled or pregnant person or a person with intellectual disability;
   • threatening in the second degree;
   • reckless endangerment in the first degree;
   • unlawful restraint in the second degree;
   • riot in the first degree;
   • riot in the second degree;
   • inciting to riot; or
   • stalking in the second degree;¹
6. been convicted of a misdemeanor crime in another state, a foreign country, or a federal, tribal, or military court within the past 8 years in a case that involved:
   • a violent crime that caused physical harm to someone else;
   • causing someone’s death or serious injury, outside of a car accident;
   • threatening or scaring someone so they feared for their safety;
   • taking part in or encouraging a riot; or
   • having controlled or hallucinogenic substances except small amounts of marijuana, psilocybin, or nicotine;²
7. been convicted as delinquent for a “serious juvenile offense;”
8. been discharged from custody within the past 20 years after being found not guilty of a crime by reason of mental disease or defect;
9. been in a psychiatric hospital by order of a probate court within the past five years;
10. voluntarily admitted themselves to a psychiatric hospital or were committed under an emergency certificate within the past six months, but this does not apply if:
    • the only reason for being in the hospital was alcohol or drug dependency; or
    • the person is a police officer whose firearm was returned for official use;
11. a final firearms seizure order issued against them; 
12. a risk protection order or risk protection investigation order issued against them;¹ 
13. been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence as defined by federal law;
14. been declared by a judge to be a “mental defective” or have been committed to a mental institution; or
15. fled from justice.²

In addition, a person can be denied a certificate to carry a revolver or pistol if any of the following are true:

• they meet any of the conditions listed above; or
• any of the following apply:
  • they have an ex parte domestic violence relief from abuse order issued against them;
  • they have an ex parte civil protection order due to sexual abuse, sexual assault, or stalking issued against them;
  • they are under age 21; or
  • they are an undocumented immigrant who is illegally or unlawfully in the United States.³

Also, federal laws, which apply to all states, restrict an abuser’s right to have a gun if they were convicted of a felony or a domestic violence misdemeanor, or if you have a final protection order against them that meets certain requirements. Go to the Federal Gun Laws page to get more information.

¹ Conn. Gen. Stat. §§§ 29-36f(b); 53a-62(a)(1)(D); 46b-38h
² Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-217(a); 18 USC § 922(g)(2), (g)(4), (g)(9)
³ Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-36f(a), (b)(2)