LCO No. 1491 1 of 5
General Assembly Raised Bill No. 5280
February Session, 2024
LCO No. 1491
Referred to Committee on PUBLIC SAFETY AND SECURITY
Introduced by:
(PS)
AN ACT CONCERNING THE NATIONAL INTEGRATED BALLISTIC
INFORMATION NETWORK.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 29-7h of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2024): 2
(a) As used in this section: 3
[(1) "Firearms evidence databank" means a computer-based system 4
that stores images of fired components of ammunition in a manner 5
suitable for retrieval and comparison to images of other fired 6
components of ammunition stored in the databank;] 7
(1) "Firearm" has the same meaning as provided in section 53a-3; 8
(2) "Fired components of ammunition" means discharged 9
ammunition consisting of a cartridge case or a bullet or a fragment 10
thereof, collected after a firearm is fired and containing sufficient 11
microscopical characteristics to compare to other discharged 12
ammunition or to determine the firearm from which the ammunition 13 Raised Bill No. 5280
LCO No. 1491 2 of 5
was fired; 14
[(2)] (3) "Handgun" means any firearm capable of firing rim-fire or 15
center-fire ammunition and designed or built to be fired with one hand; 16
[(3)] (4) "Laboratory" means the Division of Scientific Services 17
forensic science laboratory within the Department of Emergency 18
Services and Public Protection; 19
[(4) "Police department" means the Division of State Police within the 20
Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection or an 21
organized local police department; 22
(5) "Fired components of ammunition" means discharged 23
ammunition consisting of a cartridge case or a bullet or a fragment 24
thereof, collected after a firearm is fired and containing sufficient 25
microscopical characteristics to compare to other discharged 26
ammunition or to determine the firearm from which the ammunition 27
was fired.] 28
(5) "Law enforcement unit" has the same meaning as provided in 29
section 7-294a; and 30
(6) "NIBIN databank" means the National Integrated Ballistic 31
Information Network, maintained by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, 32
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or any successor network. 33
(b) (1) The Division of Scientific Services shall [establish a firearms 34
evidence] participate in the NIBIN databank. Evidence consisting of 35
fired components of ammunition may be entered into [such] the NIBIN 36
databank in accordance with [specific procedures] regulations adopted 37
by the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection [, in 38
the regulations adopted] pursuant to subsection [(f)] (g) of this section. 39
(2) The [firearms evidence] NIBIN databank may be used by 40
laboratory personnel, in accordance with federal procedures and 41
regulations adopted pursuant to subsection (g) of this section, to (A) 42
compare two or more cartridge cases, bullets or other projectiles 43 Raised Bill No. 5280
LCO No. 1491 3 of 5
submitted to the laboratory or produced at the laboratory from a 44
firearm, or (B) upon the request of a [police department] law 45
enforcement unit as part of a criminal case investigation, verify by 46
microscopic examination any resulting match, and shall produce a 47
report stating the results of such a search. 48
(3) Any image of a fired component of ammunition that is not 49
matched by a search of the NIBIN databank shall be [stored in the] 50
submitted to the NIBIN databank for future searches. 51
[(4) The Division of Scientific Services may permit a firearms section 52
of a police department that complies with all laboratory guidelines and 53
regulations adopted by the commissioner pursuant to subsection (f) of 54
this section regarding the operation of the firearms evidence databank 55
to (A) test fire handguns that come into the custody of the police 56
department and collect fired components of ammunition from such test 57
fires, (B) set up a remote terminal to enter images of fired components 58
of ammunition directly into the databank, and (C) search the databank.] 59
(c) (1) Except as provided in [subdivision (4) of subsection (b) of this 60
section and] subsection (d) of this section, [a police department may 61
submit to the laboratory any handgun that] when any firearm comes 62
into police custody as the result of a criminal investigation, the law 63
enforcement unit shall either (A) submit such firearm or fired 64
components of ammunition from such firearm to the laboratory, or (B) 65
if such law enforcement unit has been permitted by the laboratory 66
pursuant to subsection (f) of this section, test fire such firearm as 67
expeditiously as is practicable and submit evidence resulting from such 68
test fire to the NIBIN databank. 69
(2) The laboratory may test fire each submitted [handgun] firearm 70
and collect fired components of ammunition from such test fires. The 71
laboratory shall label the fired components of ammunition with the 72
[handgun] firearm manufacturer, type of weapon, serial number, date 73
of the test fire and name of the person test firing the [handgun] firearm 74
and collecting the fired components of ammunition. 75 Raised Bill No. 5280
LCO No. 1491 4 of 5
(3) When a law enforcement unit recovers any spent cartridge case 76
from a crime scene or believes that any cartridge case is related to the 77
commission of a crime or an improper discharge of a firearm, the agency 78
shall, as expeditiously as possible, submit an examination of such 79
cartridge case to the NIBIN databank. 80
(d) (1) [On and after October 1, 2001, a police department] Each law 81
enforcement unit shall test fire every handgun to be issued by [that 82
department] such unit before the handgun is so issued and collect the 83
fired components of ammunition from such test fire. Any [police 84
department] law enforcement unit may request the assistance of the 85
Division of State Police or the laboratory in test firing a handgun and 86
collecting such fired components of ammunition. 87
(2) The [police department] law enforcement unit shall seal the fired 88
components of ammunition in a tamper-evident manner and label the 89
package with the handgun manufacturer, handgun type, serial number 90
and name of the person test firing the handgun and collecting the fired 91
components of ammunition. The [police department] law enforcement 92
unit shall submit the fired components of ammunition and two intact 93
cartridges that are representative samples of the ammunition used by 94
the [department] unit in its service handguns. 95
(e) The laboratory may share the information in the [firearms 96
evidence] NIBIN databank with law enforcement units and other law 97
enforcement agencies, both within and outside the state. [, and may 98
participate in a national firearms evidence databank program.] 99
(f) The Division of Scientific Services may permit a firearms section 100
of a law enforcement unit that complies with all laboratory guidelines 101
and regulations adopted by the commissioner pursuant to subsection 102
(g) of this section regarding the operation of the NIBIN databank to (1) 103
test fire firearms that come into the custody of the unit and collect fired 104
components of ammunition from such test fires, (2) set up a remote 105
terminal to enter images of fired components of ammunition directly 106
into the NIBIN databank, and (3) search the NIBIN databank. 107 Raised Bill No. 5280
LCO No. 1491 5 of 5
[(f)] (g) The commissioner shall adopt regulations, in accordance with 108
the provisions of chapter 54, to carry out the purposes of this section. 109
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2024 29-7h
Statement of Purpose:
To require participation in the National Integrated Ballistic Information
Network, in place of operating the firearms evidence database, and
revise various provisions related to ballistic evidence.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]