How to Buy a Gun in CT: Permits, Courses, and Background Checks

To buy a gun in CT, you first need a state-issued permit or certificate — there is no over-the-counter purchase for either handguns or long guns without one. Getting that credential means completing an approved safety course with live fire, submitting fingerprints for state and FBI background checks, and paying government fees that run at least $105 for an eligibility certificate or $140 for a pistol permit. Once you hold a valid credential, every purchase still requires a federal background check at the dealer plus a Connecticut authorization number before the firearm can leave the store.

Who Can Apply

You must be a legal resident of the United States.¹ For a pistol permit or an eligibility certificate for a pistol or revolver, the minimum age is 21. Long gun purchases from a dealer are open at 18, but you must be 21 to buy a semi-automatic centerfire rifle capable of accepting a magazine that holds more than five rounds.²

Federal law disqualifies anyone who falls into any of these categories:³

Conviction for any crime punishable by more than one year in prison.
Conviction for a misdemeanor involving the use or attempted use of physical force against a spouse, former spouse, cohabitant, co-parent, or dating partner.⁴
An active protective or restraining order, particularly one tied to domestic violence or a serious threat of harm.
Current unlawful use of a controlled substance.
Adjudication as mentally defective or commitment to a psychiatric institution.
Dishonorable military discharge.⁵
Unlawful presence in the U.S. or nonimmigrant visa status, with narrow exceptions.
Formal renunciation of U.S. citizenship.

Connecticut layers on additional disqualifiers, including certain violent or intimidating misdemeanor convictions from on or after October 1, 2013, and specific psychiatric commitments.² If any of these apply, the state will deny your permit and no dealer can complete a sale.

Which Permit or Certificate You Need

Pick the credential that matches what you want to buy and whether you plan to carry.

State Pistol Permit

The broadest credential. A pistol permit covers handguns, long guns, and ammunition, and it authorizes you to carry a handgun on your person.⁶ It is valid for five years.⁷ The carry statute does not distinguish between open and concealed carry, though openly carrying can invite scrutiny under other laws.⁸

Eligibility Certificate for Pistol or Revolver

If you want to buy handguns but do not need to carry outside your home, this certificate covers pistols, revolvers, long guns, and ammunition without granting carry privileges.⁶ The application is essentially identical to the pistol permit application, with a lower state fee.

Long Gun Eligibility Certificate

Anyone 18 or older who only wants rifles or shotguns can apply for this certificate instead. It does not authorize handgun purchases.⁹

Ammunition Certificate

If you already own firearms but hold none of the above, a standalone ammunition certificate authorizes ammunition and magazine purchases only. Applicants must be at least 18 and pass a name-based state criminal history check.¹⁰

How to Apply

Take an Approved Safety Course

You cannot submit an application without a course completion certificate. The course must include classroom instruction and live fire; computer-based or dry-fire programs do not qualify.⁶ Private instructors and some law enforcement agencies offer approved courses. Expect several hours of instruction and a fee somewhere between $100 and $250 depending on the provider.

Complete the Application

The form is the DPS-799-C, used for pistol permits, pistol/revolver eligibility certificates, and long gun eligibility certificates alike. You will list your full legal name, any prior names, seven years of addresses, and seven years of employment history.¹¹ Bring proof of lawful presence: a birth certificate, U.S. passport, or USCIS-issued immigration documents.¹²

Connecticut residents submit everything (form, course certificate, proof of legal presence, fee) to their local police department or resident state trooper.¹¹ Non-residents apply directly to the Special Licensing and Firearms Unit (SLFU) of the Connecticut State Police.¹

Pay the Fees

Fees are collected at two levels. The local authority takes $70 when you file.¹¹ The state charges another $70 for a pistol permit or $35 for an eligibility certificate, made out to the Treasurer of the State of Connecticut.¹ Total government fees: $140 for a pistol permit, $105 for an eligibility certificate. That does not include the safety course or fingerprinting.

Background Check, Timeline, and Denial

You will be fingerprinted for a state criminal history check and a national FBI check.¹³ The results are screened for disqualifying convictions, protective orders, and mental health records.

By statute, the local issuing authority must notify you in writing if the national check has not returned within eight weeks of your completed application. Once it does return, the authority has one week to decide.¹⁴ Real-world timelines vary by town; some move quickly, others push toward that eight-week mark.

If you are denied, you have 90 days to appeal to the Board of Firearms Permit Examiners, a nine-member civilian board. Send your appeal letter and the three-page appellant questionnaire to the Board at 165 Capitol Avenue, Suite 1070, Hartford, CT 06106, or email bfpe@ct.gov. If eight weeks pass with no decision at all, you can file a “constructive denial” appeal. You can represent yourself or bring an attorney. Both sides present testimony, the board votes, and you get a written decision within 20 days. Adverse rulings can be taken to Superior Court.¹⁴

At the Dealer

Bring your permit or certificate. The dealer verifies it, then hands you ATF Form 4473, a federal form that captures identifying information and eligibility questions, including whether you are the actual buyer of the firearm. The dealer runs a NICS background check before the transfer.³

Connecticut adds its own step. The seller completes a DPS-3-C form and calls SLFU at (860) 685-8400 to get a state authorization number before the sale can close. The seller keeps the original, gives you a copy as your receipt, sends one copy to your local police, and forwards a final copy to SLFU.¹⁵

Waiting Periods

Long guns bought from a dealer come with a 14-day waiting period. The wait is waived if you hold a valid pistol permit, eligibility certificate, or hunting license, and it is waived for active-duty U.S. Armed Forces members and buyers of antique firearms. Handguns have no separate waiting period once you hold a valid pistol permit or eligibility certificate; the permit process itself is the vetting.²

Private Sales Are Not Really Private

Connecticut does not permit unregulated person-to-person transfers. Any private sale has to go through a federally licensed dealer, who runs the background check and files the DPS-3-C just as in a retail sale.¹⁵ The buyer still needs a valid permit or certificate, and the dealer still needs a state authorization number. Skipping this is a criminal offense for both buyer and seller.

What You Cannot Buy

A valid permit does not open the door to every firearm. Connecticut bans assault weapons, defined to cover specific named models and any semi-automatic firearm with certain military-style features. The definition sits in C.G.S. § 53-202a, and possession is a felony unless the firearm was lawfully owned and registered with the state before the relevant cutoff.¹⁶ If you are considering a semi-automatic rifle, check the statutory list and feature tests first.

Magazines that hold more than ten rounds are prohibited as “large capacity.” Narrow exceptions apply for .22 caliber tubular feeding devices, tubular magazines in lever-action rifles, and magazines permanently altered to hold no more than ten rounds.¹⁷ Licensed Connecticut dealers will not sell non-compliant magazines, but the limit still matters when ordering online or bringing magazines in from another state.

Renewing Your Permit

A State Pistol Permit expires five years after issue.⁷ Renewal is done by mail on form DPS-129-C-2, with a $35 fee to the Treasurer, proof of legal presence, a color passport photo, and notarization.¹² Do not let the permit lapse: carrying or buying on an expired permit is treated the same as having none at all. If you move, report the new address to SLFU within 48 hours.¹¹

1
Department of Emergency Services & Public Protection. State Pistol Permit
2
State of Connecticut. Your Guide to Firearms and Permits in Connecticut
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
4
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Misdemeanor Crimes of Domestic Violence Prohibitions
5
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Identify Prohibited Persons
6
Justia. Connecticut Code Title 29 Chapter 529 Section 29-28 – Permit for Sale at Retail of Firearms, Permit to Carry Pistol or Revolver
7
Department of Emergency Services & Public Protection. Pistol Permit FAQ
8
Connecticut General Assembly. Concealed vs. Open Carrying of Firearms in Connecticut
9
Justia. Connecticut Code Title 29 Chapter 529 Section 29-37p – Long Gun Eligibility Certificate
10
Justia. Connecticut Code Title 29 Chapter 529 Section 29-38n – Ammunition Certificate
11
State of Connecticut. DPS-799-C Pistol Permit/Eligibility Certificate Application
12
State of Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. Instructions to Applicants DPS-769-C
13
Justia. Connecticut Code Title 29 Chapter 529 Section 29-29
14
Connecticut Board of Firearms Permit Examiners. How Do I Appeal
15
Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. Sale or Transfer of All Firearms – DPS-3-C Form
16
Justia. Connecticut Code Title 53 Chapter 943 Section 53-202a – Assault Weapons Definition
17
Justia. Connecticut Code Title 53 Chapter 943 Section 53-202w – Large Capacity Magazines