Connecticut - No state restrictions on gun-trafficking such as a limit on the number of handguns that can be purchased at one time. Gun traffickers can easily buy large quantities of handguns at gun stores and resell them on the street to criminals.

Connecticut - State law prohibits the sale of a list of semiautomatic assault weapons. The state also uses a two-feature test to classify other assault weapons in the ban. People who owned such assault weapons prior to the law are required to obtain a special certificate and are restricted from selling or giving the weapons to anyone else in the state.

No state requirement that gun dealers or manufacturers provide police with sample bullets/cartridges or digital images of bullets/cartridges prior to the sale of a handgun, ballistic fingerprinting, which would assist police in tracing bullets at crime scenes to the guns that fired them.

Connecticut - State law allows police chiefs and state sheriffs to prohibit people from carrying concealed weapons (CCW) in public. Police chiefs and state sheriffs may issue" permits that allow people to carry concealed weapons if police believe it is in the interest of public safety. Anyone so approved by local law enforcement must undergo safety training in the legal and safe use of the weapon and there are limits in where they may carry such weapons. Also see: School Zones.

Connecticut - State law holds gun owners responsible if they leave a gun easily accessible to a child under 16 years old and the child uses the gun to injure or threaten someone. Gun stores are required to post warnings about the law to educate gun owners about their responsibility to safely secure their weapons.

Connecticut - State law requires every handgun to be sold with a child-safety lock to make it easier for gun owners to lock up their weapons. The locks must be of sufficient quality so they cannot be easily removed by unauthorized people. But there is NO similar requirement for child-safety locks to be sold with rifle or shotguns. Furthermore, the law does NOT require gun owners to actually use the safety locks to secure their weapons - the law only says they must be sold with guns. Also see: Safety Standards.

Connecticut - There is no state law mandating that all new handguns be sold with 'personalized' handgun technology that would only allow the authorized user to operate the firearm. Childproof handguns play an important role in helping to prevent unintentional shootings among children and to deter suicides among minors.

Connecticut - The state requires all firearm dealers to obtain a state license to sell firearms. State law mandates licensed firearm dealers to record and retain all sales records on premises. The dealer is required to report those sales records to the state and the state must retain those records in a database. Law enforcement officials are permitted to conduct random inspections to compare a dealer's inventory with the dealer's sales records in order to identify any off-the-books transactions or other discrepancies. State law mandates that a firearm dealer take steps to ensure his/her inventory is protected and secured. (Examples: Locked inventory, product placement requirements, employee screening, install alarm systems, etc.)

State law allows cities and local governments to take legal action to hold gun manufacturers accountable if they act irresponsibly in the way they design, market or distribute weapons. Gun manufacturers can be held legally accountable, just like the makers of every other product.

Connecticut - State law requires people buying guns at gun shows to undergo a criminal background check prior to delivery of the weapon.

Connecticut - There is no state law forcing employers or businesses to allow guns on their privately held property.

Connecticut - There is no state law forcing colleges/universities to allow guns on campus.

Connecticut - There is no state law restricting the sale or possession of large capacity ammunition magazines that can fire 30, 50 or even 75 rounds without reloading. Ammunition magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds of ammunition are considered large capacity magazines. These types of ammunition magazines are available for any firearm capable of accepting a detachable magazine, including assault weapons and semi-automatic handguns.

State law makes it illegal to sell handguns to juveniles under the age of 21 by unlicensed sellers. Under federal law, only federally licensed dealers are prohibited from selling or delivering handguns or ammunition for handguns to any person under the age of 21. A strong state law is needed to stop unlicensed persons from selling handguns to those under the age of 21.

Connecticut - State law requires handgun buyers to obtain a license prior to purchasing a handgun. The handgun buyer must pass a safety course safety test and provide fingerprints. The license is also generally required for anyone who wishes to be "loaned" a handgun outside of the presence of the owner. Also see: Safety Training.

Connecticut: State law generally allows cities to enact local gun laws to regulate firearms that are stronger than state law or that fill loopholes in state law, as long as the local ordinance does not significantly conflict with state law. There is no direct state law preempting" local government authority to regulate guns.

Some local governments in Connecticut have imposed age restrictions on guns, limited the sale of pistols, required waiting periods, required permits to purchase handguns, and required additional record-keeping on gun sales.

Connecticut - There is no state law requiring new semi-automatic handguns be fitted with microstamping technology, which would engrave on each fired bullet casing microscopic identifying markings that are specific to that firearm alone. This technology would provide law enforcement with another investigative tool to better solve gun crimes and apprehend armed criminals.

Connecticut - State law authorizes law enforcement to keep a record of every handgun sold or transferred in the state, as well as rifles and shotguns sold by licensed gun dealers. The state does not require law enforcement to receive or keep records on private sales of rifles or shotguns between individuals. The firearm sale records are maintained by police for use in gun tracing and related criminal investigations. The state does attempt to compare past gun sale records with recent criminal activity to identify and disarm felons and others who bought guns legally, but later committed a crime or otherwise became ineligible to keep possession of their firearms. Also see: Registration and Secondary Sales.

Connecticut - State law only requires registration of assault weapons. No state requirement that other firearms be registered. Police do not known how many guns are in the state or where they are. The lack of registration makes it difficult for police to trace guns used in crime, identify illegal gun traffickers or hold gun owners accountable for the illegal use of their weapons. The state does attempt to identify felons and other prohibited people who bought guns legally in the past, but later committed a crime or otherwise became ineligible to keep possession of their firearms. The state has required anyone acquiring a handgun since 1995 to obtain a permit from law enforcement but there is no requirement for reporting of lost or stolen handguns. Also see: Record Keeping.

Connecticut - State law requires all firearm owners to report lost/stolen firearms to law enforcement. This requirement helps to keep illegal guns off the streets by removing the excuse used by gun traffickers that "lose" their firearms.

Connecticut - State law requires handguns to be sold with a locking device to prevent children from using the weapon. But there is no state requirement that handguns meet basic safety standards, or be equipped with loaded-chamber indicators or have magazine safety disconnects to prevent unintentional shootings. No requirement that handguns have a built-in "personalized" lock that would prevent unauthorized use of the weapon. State law does not provide independent authority for the State Attorney General to establish gun safety standards. Also see: Child Safety Locks.

No state restriction on the sale of Saturday night specials or "junk" handguns. No requirement that handguns meet any safety tests such as a drop-safety test or a firing-performance test. No restriction on the sale of snub-nosed handguns that are very small and easy to conceal.

Connecticut - The state does not allow the use of deadly force as a first resort in public.

Connecticut - State law requires universal background checks on handguns only. People buying or obtaining ownership of a handgun must obtain from law enforcement a pistol permit or "eligibility certificate" prior to each purchase, and each permit requires a criminal background check. This includes all private sales and sales at gun shows. Connecticut has closed the gun show loophole, as all purchasers at a gun show are subject to a background check prior to the sale of all firearms, handguns and long guns included. But, there is no required background check on "private" sales of long guns not conducted at gun shows.

Connecticut - State law requires all handgun buyers to first obtain a pistol permit or eligibility certificate, which can take up to 90 days.

There is a 14-day waiting period and background check for buyers of rifles and shotguns, but only if purchased from a licensed gun dealer, and only unless the buyer does not have a pistol permit, eligibility certificate, or hunting license.

There is no waiting period on the "private" sale or rifles and shotguns.