Researcher: RP Page 1 6/2/23
OLR Bill Analysis
sHB 6839 (as amended by House "A")*
AN ACT CONCERNING TEMPORARY STATE PERMITS TO CARRY
A PISTOL OR REVOLVER ISSUED BY TRIBAL POLICE
DEPARTMENTS.
SUMMARY
Under PA 22-102, the police chiefs of the state’s federally recognized
Native American tribes with a law enforcement unit (i.e., the Mohegan
and Mashantucket Pequot police chiefs) may issue temporary state
handgun permits under the statutory permit approval process to
applicants who are bona fide permanent residents of the tribal
reservations. This bill makes numerous conforming changes throughout
the firearm permitting statutes to extend the statutory permit approval
process to these police chiefs, including provisions on the following:
1. supplying permit application forms and notifying applicants
about their permit’s approval or denial within specified
timeframes;
2. requiring applicants to submit to fingerprinting, positive
identification procedures, and state and national criminal history
records checks;
3. denying permits if they have reason to believe that (a) the
applicant has ever been convicted of a felony or (b) any other
condition exists for which state or federal law prohibits issuing a
handgun permit;
4. retaining a portion of the handgun permit fee and forwarding
sufficient funds to pay for the national criminal history check to
the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection
(DESPP) commissioner; 2023HB-06839-R010855-BA.DOCX
Researcher: RP Page 2 6/2/23
5. receiving notifications from the DESPP commissioner (a) about
reasons that would prohibit applicants from possessing a
handgun or (b) that an applicant is ineligible for a long gun; and
6. receiving copies of receipts for handgun and long gun sales and
transfers.
PA 22-102 also authorizes the chief executive officer (CEO) of any
municipality (i.e., town, city, consolidated town and city, borough, or
consolidated town and borough) without a police chief to perform
various firearms permitting and administrative functions or designate
the resident state trooper or relevant state police officer to do so. (Under
prior law, only a town’s first selectman or borough’s warden were
authorized to perform these functions.) The bill defines a municipal
CEO for these purposes as the (1) first selectman; (2) chief administrative
officer appointed by the board of selectmen or mayor; (3) mayor; (4)
borough warden; or (5) appointed town, city, or borough manager (CGS
§ 7-193).
The bill also repeals a provision under current law allowing the
handgun permit issuing authority to forgo taking an applicant’s
fingerprints if (1) they determine that the applicant’s fingerprints were
already taken and (2) the applicant presents identification that they
determine is valid.
Lastly, the bill makes technical changes.
*House Amendment “A” adds conforming changes to statutes on (1)
retaining a portion of the handgun permit fee and forwarding sufficient
funds for a background check to DESPP, (2) receiving notifications from
the DESPP commissioner about applicants being ineligible to possess a
handgun or long gun, and (3) receiving copies of receipts for handgun
and long gun sales and transfers.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
BACKGROUND
Related Bill 2023HB-06839-R010855-BA.DOCX
Researcher: RP Page 3 6/2/23
SB 967, favorably reported by the Public Safety and Security
Committee, repeals the same provision allowing permit issuing
authority to forgo taking an applicant’s fingerprints under certain
circumstances.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Public Safety and Security Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 25 Nay 0 (03/16/2023)