Substitute House Bill No. 7223
Public Act No. 19-7
AN ACT CONCERNING TH E STORAGE OF A PISTO L OR
REVOLVER IN A MOTOR VEHICLE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2019) (a) (1) No person shall
store or keep any pistol or revolver in any motor vehicle that is
unattended unless such pistol or revolver is in the trunk, a locked safe
or locked glove box.
(2) For purposes of this subsection, (A) a motor vehicle is
unattended if no person who is at least twenty-one years of age and
who is the owner or operator or a passenger of such motor vehicle is
inside the motor vehicle or is within close enough proximity to the
motor vehicle to prevent unauthorized access to the motor vehicle, (B)
"pistol" and "revolver" mean pistol and revolver, each as defined in
section 29-27 of the general statutes, (C) "motor vehicle" means a motor
vehicle, as defined in section 14-1 of the general statutes, and (D)
"trunk" means (i) the fully enclosed and locked main storage or
luggage compartment of a motor vehicle that is not accessible from the
passenger compartment, or (ii) a locked toolbox or utility box attached
to the bed of a pickup truck, as defined in section 14-1 of the general
statutes. "Trunk" does not include the rear of a pickup truck, except as
otherwise provided, or of a hatchback, station-wagon-type automobile Substitute House Bill No. 7223
Public Act No. 19-7 2 of 4
or sport utility vehicle or any compartment that has a window.
(b) The provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall not apply to
any pistol or revolver issued or possessed by: (1) The Department of
Emergency Services and Public Protection, police departments, the
Department of Correction, the Division of Criminal Justice, the
Department of Motor Vehicles, the Department of Energy and
Environmental Protection, the Department of Revenue Services or the
military or naval forces of this state or of the United States, (2) a sworn
member of a law enforcement unit, as defined in section 7-294a of the
general statutes, including, but not limited to, the Department of
Correction or the Division of State Police within the Department of
Emergency Services and Public Protection, a chief inspector or
inspector in the Division of Criminal Justice, a salaried inspector of
motor vehicles designated by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, a
conservation officer or special conservation officer appointed by the
Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection pursuant to
section 26-5 of the general statutes or a constable who is certified by
the Police Officer Standards and Training Council and appointed by
the chief executive authority of a town, city or borough to perform
criminal law enforcement duties, for use by such sworn member,
inspector, officer or constable in the discharge of such sworn
member's, inspector's, officer's or constable's official duties or when off
duty, (3) a member of the military or naval forces of this state or of the
United States, or (4) a nuclear facility licensed by the United States
Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the purpose of providing security
services at such facility, or any contractor or subcontractor of such
facility for the purpose of providing security services at such facility,
provided such pistol or revolver issued or possessed by any such
agency, department, municipality, organization, force or entity or
person described in subdivisions (1) to (4), inclusive, of this subsection,
is being kept or stored in accordance with such issuing or possessing
agency, department, municipality, organization, force or entity or Substitute House Bill No. 7223
Public Act No. 19-7 3 of 4
person's policy concerning safe keeping or storage of a pistol or
revolver in a motor vehicle.
(c) The court may order suspension of prosecution if the court finds
that a violation of this section is not of a serious nature and that the
person charged with such violation (1) (A) will probably not offend in
the future, (B) has not previously been convicted of a violation of this
section, and (C) has not previously had a prosecution under this
section suspended pursuant to this subsection, or (2) was charged with
such violation because of facts or circumstances accurately reported by
such person to an organized local police department concerning a lost
or stolen firearm in accordance with the provisions of section 53-202g
of the general statutes. The court shall not order suspension of
prosecution unless the accused person has acknowledged that he or
she understands the consequences of the suspension of prosecution.
Any person for whom prosecution is suspended shall agree to the
tolling of any statute of limitations with respect to such violation and
to a waiver of his or her right to a speedy trial. Such person shall
appear in court and shall be released to the custody of the Court
Support Services Division for such period, not exceeding two years,
and under such conditions as the court shall order. If the person
refuses to accept, or, having accepted, violates such conditions, the
court shall terminate the suspension of prosecution and the case shall
be brought to trial. If such person satisfactorily completes such
person's period of probation, he or she may apply for dismissal of the
charges against such person and the court, on finding such satisfactory
completion, shall dismiss such charges. If the person does not apply
for dismissal of the charges against such person after satisfactorily
completing such person's period of probation, the court, upon receipt
of a report submitted by the Court Support Services Division that the
person satisfactorily completed such person's period of probation, may
on its own motion make a finding of such satisfactory completion and
dismiss such charges. Upon dismissal, all records of such charges shall Substitute House Bill No. 7223
Public Act No. 19-7 4 of 4
be erased pursuant to section 54-142a of the general statutes. An order
of the court denying a motion to dismiss the charges against a person
who has completed such person's period of probation or terminating
the participation of a defendant in such program shall be a final
judgment for purposes of appeal.
(d) Any person who violates any provision of subsection (a) of this
section shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor for a first offense and
a class D felony for any subsequent offense.