Substitute House Bill No. 5280
Public Act No. 24-32
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 Section 29-7h of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2024):
(a) As used in this section:
[(1) "Firearms evidence databank" means a computer-based system
that stores images of fired components of ammunition in a manner
suitable for retrieval and comparison to images of other fired
components of ammunition stored in the databank;]
(1) "Firearm" has the same meaning as provided in section 53a-3;
(2) "Fired components of ammunition" means disch arged
ammunition consisting of a cartridge case or a bullet or a fragment
thereof, collected after a firearm is fired and containing sufficient
microscopical characteristics to compare to other discharged
ammunition or to determine the firearm from which the ammunition
was fired;
[(2)] (3) "Handgun" means any firearm capable of firing rim-fire or Substitute House Bill No. 5280
Public Act No. 24-32 2 of 5
center-fire ammunition and designed or built to be fired with one hand;
[(3)] (4) "Laboratory" means the Division of Scientific Services
forensic science laboratory within the Department of Emergency
Services and Public Protection;
[(4) "Police department" means the Division of State Police within the
Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection or an
organized local police department;
(5) "Fired components of ammunition" means discharged
ammunition consisting of a cartridge case or a bullet or a fragment
thereof, collected after a firearm is fired and containing sufficient
microscopical characteristics to compare to other discharged
ammunition or to determine the firearm from which the ammunition
was fired.]
(5) "Law enforcement unit" has the same meaning as provided in
section 7-294a; and
(6) "NIBIN databank" means the National Integrated Ballistic
Information Network, maintained by the federal Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or any successor network.
(b) (1) The Division of Scientific Services shall [establish a firearms
evidence] participate in the NIBIN databank. Evidence consisting of
fired components of ammunition may be entered into [such] the NIBIN
databank in accordance with [specific procedures] regulations adopted
by the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection [, in
the regulations adopted] pursuant to subsection [(f)] (g) of this section.
(2) The [firearms evidence] NIBIN databank may be used by
laboratory personnel, in accordance with federal procedures and
regulations adopted pursuant to subsection (g) of this section, to (A)
compare two or more cartridge cases, bullets or other projectiles Substitute House Bill No. 5280
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submitted to the laboratory or produced at the laboratory from a
firearm, or (B) upon the request of a [police department] law
enforcement unit as part of a criminal case investigation, verify by
microscopic examination any resulting match, and shall produce a
report stating the results of such a search.
(3) Any image of a fired component of ammunition that is not
matched by a search of the NIBIN databank shall be [stored in the]
submitted to the NIBIN databank for future searches.
[(4) The Division of Scientific Services may permit a firearms section
of a police department that complies with all laboratory guidelines and
regulations adopted by the commissioner pursuant to subsection (f) of
this section regarding the operation of the firearms evidence databank
to (A) test fire handguns that come into the custody of the police
department and collect fired components of ammunition from such test
fires, (B) set up a remote terminal to enter images of fired components
of ammunition directly into the databank, and (C) search the databank.]
(c) (1) Except as provided in [subdivision (4) of subsection (b) of this
section and] subsection (d) of this section, [a police department may
submit to the laboratory any handgun that] when any firearm comes
into police custody as the result of a criminal investigation, the law
enforcement unit shall either (A) submit such firearm or fired
components of ammunition from such firearm to the laboratory, or (B)
if such law enforcement unit has been permitted by the laboratory
pursuant to subsection (f) of this section, test fire such firearm as
expeditiously as is practicable and submit evidence resulting from such
test fire to the NIBIN databank.
(2) The laboratory may test fire each submitted [handgun] firearm
and collect fired components of ammunition from such test fires. The
laboratory shall label the fired components of ammunition with the
[handgun] firearm manufacturer, type of weapon, serial number, date Substitute House Bill No. 5280
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of the test fire and name of the person test firing the [handgun] firearm
and collecting the fired components of ammunition.
(3) When a law enforcement unit recovers any spent cartridge case
from a crime scene or believes that any cartridge case is related to the
commission of a crime or an improper discharge of a firearm, the agency
shall, as expeditiously as practicable, submit an examination of such
cartridge case to the NIBIN databank.
(d) (1) [On and after October 1, 2001, a police department] Each law
enforcement unit shall test fire every handgun to be issued by [that
department] such unit before the handgun is so issued and collect the
fired components of ammunition from such test fire. Any [police
department] law enforcement unit may request the assistance of the
Division of State Police or the laboratory in test firing a handgun and
collecting such fired components of ammunition.
(2) The [police department] law enforcement unit shall seal the fired
components of ammunition in a tamper-evident manner and label the
package with the handgun manufacturer, handgun type, serial number
and name of the person test firing the handgun and collecting the fired
components of ammunition. The [police department] law enforcement
unit shall submit the fired components of ammunition and two intact
cartridges that are representative samples of the ammunition used by
the [department] unit in its service handguns.
(e) The laboratory may share the information in the [firearms
evidence] NIBIN databank with law enforcement units and other law
enforcement agencies, both within and outside the state. [, and may
participate in a national firearms evidence databank program.]
(f) The Division of Scientific Services may permit a firearms section
of a law enforcement unit that complies with all laboratory guidelines
and regulations adopted by the commissioner pursuant to subsection Substitute House Bill No. 5280
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(g) of this section regarding the operation of the NIBIN databank to (1)
test fire firearms that come into the custody of the unit and collect fired
components of ammunition from such test fires, (2) set up a remote
terminal to enter images of fired components of ammunition directly
into the NIBIN databank, and (3) search the NIBIN databank.
[(f)] (g) The commissioner shall adopt regulations, in accordance with
the provisions of chapter 54, to carry out the purposes of this section.