Buying a Gun in Connecticut

Handguns: no person may sell, give or otherwise transfer a pistol or revolver to anyone under 21 (except temporary use at a range under supervision); the handgun eligibility certificate or carry permit needed to buy one is available only at 21. Long guns: no retail sale or transfer to anyone under 18, and no sale or transfer of a semi-automatic centerfire rifle that has or accepts a magazine of more than five rounds to anyone under 21. The long gun eligibility certificate is available at 18. Because every buyer must hold a permit or certificate, these ages also apply in private sales.

Yes, for all sales including private sales. A buyer of any handgun must hold a carry permit, a handgun eligibility certificate, or a dealer permit, and every handgun transfer requires an authorization number from DESPP, which runs the national instant background check. Every long gun buyer must hold a long gun eligibility certificate, handgun eligibility certificate or permit; private (non-dealer) long gun sales require either the parties to get a DESPP authorization number themselves or a licensed dealer to obtain it for them. DESPP may issue no more than three handgun authorization numbers for retail sales to one buyer within 30 days (six for certified firearms instructors).

Long guns: no sale or transfer until two weeks after the application date, except to holders of a state carry permit, handgun eligibility certificate or long gun eligibility certificate, active military members, holders of a valid Connecticut hunting license, and for antique firearms. Handguns: Connecticut has no state law that sets a waiting period for handguns. A pistol or revolver may not be sold, delivered or transferred until the transferor obtains an authorization number from the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection, who runs the national instant criminal background check, and the buyer must already hold a carry permit, eligibility certificate or other listed permit.

A person who completes the manufacture of a firearm must obtain a unique serial number from DESPP (notifying DESPP within 30 days) and engrave it on the firearm; since January 1, 2024, no one may possess an unserialized firearm unless they declared it or have applied for a number. People moving into the state with one have 90 days to serialize it, make it permanently inoperable, sell it to a dealer or remove it. Unfinished frames or lower receivers may only be sold or transferred through the same procedure as a handgun sale and must carry a serial number. Making a firearm from polymer plastic without a detectable security exemplar is also prohibited.