For a list of banned firearms, visit: assaultweaponspdf.pdf
Any newly defined assault weapon that was lawfully purchased on or before April 4, 2013, but was not transferred by that date, may be transferred pursuant to such lawful purchase and a sales authorization number may be obtained for such transfer. Sellers are required to verify that a lawful purchase occurred on or before April 4, 2013 prior to transferring such firearm.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53-202d.

Assault Weapon certification application can be found here: dps-414-c-assault-weapon-certificate-application.pdf

Additionally, Connecticut bans a part or combination of parts designed or intended to convert a firearm into an assault weapon and any combination of parts from which such an assault weapon may be assembled.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53-202a(1)(A)(ii), (F), (I)

“Large capacity magazine” means any firearm magazine, belt, drum, feed strip or similar device that has the capacity of, or can be readily restored or converted to accept, more than ten rounds of ammunition, but does not include: (A) A feeding device that has been permanently altered so that it cannot accommodate more than ten rounds of ammunition, (B) a .22 caliber tube ammunition feeding device, (C) a tubular magazine that is contained in a lever-action firearm, or (D) a magazine that is permanently inoperable.

A person who lawfully possessed a large capacity magazine prior to January 1, 2014, and had not yet declared possession by July 1, 2023, had to apply by January 1, 2024, to declare possession of such magazine. Declaration application can be found here: STATE OF CONNECTICUT

Ghost Guns: As of January 1, 2024, the law prohibits possession of unserialized firearms. Individuals who lawfully possess unserialized firearms prior to January 1, 2024, may continue to possess them if they declare such possession or request a serial number by January 1, 2024 through the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection.

Bump stocks were banned as of October 1, 2018, and individuals in possession of bump stocks before the law going into effect were required to render the devices inoperable, remove them from the state, or surrender the device to the state.

Pursuant to Public Act 18-29, effective October 1, 2018, no person other than a licensed firearms manufacturer under 18 USC 923(i) fulfilling a military contract, may sell, offer to sell, otherwise transfer or offer to transfer, purchase, possess, use or manufacture any "rate of fire enhancement." For purposes of this section, a rate of fire enhancement is any device, component, part, combination of parts, attachment or accessory that: (1) Uses energy from the recoil of a firearm to generate a reciprocating action that causes repeated function of the trigger, including, but not limited to, a bump stock; (2) repeatedly pulls the trigger of a firearm through the use of a crank, lever or other part, including, but not limited to, a trigger crank; or (3) causes a semiautomatic firearm to fire more than one round per operation of the trigger, where the trigger pull and reset constitute a single operation of the trigger, including, but not limited to, a binary trigger system.

For more on the ammunition certificate, visit: dps-129-c-and-instructions.pdf

Please visit the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection websites for more detailed information and instruction:

State Pistol Permit and Eligibility Certificate

Firearms and Permit Related Forms and Information

Registration of "Assault Weapons" in Connecticut required a person who lawfully possessed an "assault weapon" before it was prohibited by law to apply for a certificate of possession for the assault weapon by October 1, 1994.

Certificates contain a unique, detailed description of the firearm, including all identification marks, the name, address, date of birth and thumbprint of the owner, and any other information DESPP may deem appropriate. See Assault Weapons section for more information.

Registration of machine guns in Connecticut require any machine gun adapted to use projectiles of any caliber must be registered in the office of the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection within 24 hours after its acquisition and, thereafter, annually, on July 1st.

They have been convicted of a felony (with limited exceptions) or, on or after October 1, 2013, certain violent or intimidating misdemeanors;

Have been convicted as a delinquent for the commission of a serious juvenile offense;

Have been convicted of a misdemeanor family violence crime committed on or after October 1, 2023;

Have been discharged from custody within the preceding 20 years after having been found not guilty of a crime due to mental disease or defect under state law;

Have been confined in a mental hospital for persons with psychiatric disabilities within the preceding year by order of a probate court;

Are subject to a restraining or protective order of any state court, or a foreign order of protection, in a case involving the use, attempted use or threatened use of physical force against another person;

Are subject to a firearms seizure order, issued after notice and an opportunity to be heard;

Were confined on or after October 1, 2013, in a hospital for people with psychiatric disabilities under a probate court order within the past: a) 60 months; or b) 12 months, if the person has a valid permit or certificate in effect before October 1, 2013;

Were voluntarily admitted, or were committed under an emergency certificate by a doctor on or after October 1, 2023, to a hospital for people with psychiatric disabilities within the past six months for care and treatment of a psychiatric disability and not solely for being an alcohol or drug-dependent person;

Are prohibited from shipping, transporting, possessing or receiving a firearm for mental health reasons pursuant to federal law;

Effective October 1, 2023, are a fugitive from justice or have been been convicted in any court of a “misdemeanor crime of domestic violence” as defined under federal law;

For handguns only, are illegally in the United States

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-217(a), 53-217c(a)

A person, even with a permit to carry a handgun, may not carry on any premises where the possession or carrying of a handgun is prohibited by the person who owns or controls the premises.

Connecticut prohibits any person from possessing a weapon from which a shot may be discharged, either loaded or unloaded, within any building where:
Either house of the General Assembly is located;
Any committee, member, officer or employee of the General Assembly has an official office; or
Any committee of the General Assembly is holding a public hearing.

Connecticut has no statutes prohibiting firearms in the following places, although administrative regulations may apply:
Hospitals;
Places of worship;
Bars or restaurants where alcohol is served;
Sports arenas;
Gambling facilities; or
Polling places.

Connecticut prohibits any person from possessing a firearm, knowing that he or she is not licensed or privileged to do so: 1) in or on the real property comprising a public or private elementary or secondary school; or 2) at a school-sponsored activity.

This prohibition does not apply to gun possession: For use in a program approved by school officials in or on school property or at the school-sponsored activity; In accordance with an agreement entered into between school officials and the possessor or the possessor’s employer; or While traversing school property for the purpose of gaining access to public or private lands open to hunting or for other lawful purposes, provided the firearm is not loaded and the entry on school property is permitted by the local or regional board of education.

Effective October 1, 2023, the state prohibits any person, firm, or corporation from transferring a firearm unless the transferee has a permit to carry a handgun, a permit to sell firearms at retail, or a handgun eligibility certificate.

No person may purchase or receive any long gun (i.e., a rifle or shotgun) unless they hold one of these permits or licenses, or a long gun eligibility certificate.

Under Connecticut state law, the use of deadly force that might otherwise have been justifiable is not warranted if someone “knows that he can avoid the necessity of using such force with complete safety...by retreating...”

For more detailed information: Issue Brief: Connecticut’s “Red Flag” Firearm Law