2023 Connecticut General Statutes › Title 29 - Public Safety and State Police › Chapter 529 - Division of State Police › Section 29-35. - Carrying of pistol or revolver without permit prohibited. Exceptions.

(a) No person shall carry any pistol or revolver upon his or her person, except when such person is within the dwelling house or place of business of such person, without a permit to carry the same issued as provided in section 29-28. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to the carrying of any pistol or revolver by any parole officer or peace officer of this state, or any Department of Motor Vehicles inspector appointed under section 14-8 and certified pursuant to section 7-294d, or parole officer or peace officer of any other state while engaged in the pursuit of official duties, or federal marshal or federal law enforcement agent, or to any member of the armed forces of the United States, as defined in section 27-103, or of the state, as defined in section 27-2, when on duty or going to or from duty, or to any member of any military organization when on parade or when going to or from any place of assembly, or to the transportation of pistols or revolvers as merchandise, or to any person transporting any pistol or revolver while contained in the package in which it was originally wrapped at the time of sale and while transporting the same from the place of sale to the purchaser's residence or place of business, or to any person removing such person's household goods or effects from one place to another, or to any person while transporting any such pistol or revolver from such person's place of residence or business to a place or individual where or by whom such pistol or revolver is to be repaired or while returning to such person's place of residence or business after the same has been repaired, or to any person transporting a pistol or revolver in or through the state for the purpose of taking part in competitions, taking part in formal pistol or revolver training, repairing such pistol or revolver or attending any meeting or exhibition of an organized collectors' group if such person is a bona fide resident of the United States and is permitted to possess and carry a pistol or revolver in the state or subdivision of the United States in which such person resides, or to any person transporting a pistol or revolver to and from a testing range at the request of the issuing authority, or to any person transporting an antique pistol or revolver, as defined in section 29-33. For the purposes of this subsection, “formal pistol or revolver training” means pistol or revolver training at a locally approved or permitted firing range or training facility, and “transporting a pistol or revolver” means transporting a pistol or revolver that is unloaded and, if such pistol or revolver is being transported in a motor vehicle, is not readily accessible or directly accessible from the passenger compartment of the vehicle or, if such pistol or revolver is being transported in a motor vehicle that does not have a compartment separate from the passenger compartment, such pistol or revolver shall be contained in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the carrying of a pistol or revolver during formal pistol or revolver training or repair.
(b) The holder of a permit issued pursuant to section 29-28 shall carry such permit upon one's person while carrying such pistol or revolver. Such holder shall present his or her permit upon the request of a law enforcement officer who has reasonable suspicion of a crime for purposes of verification of the validity of the permit or identification of the holder, provided such holder is carrying a pistol or revolver that is observed by such law enforcement officer.
(1949 Rev., S. 4166; 1957, P.A. 163, S. 35; 1959, P.A. 179; 1963, P.A. 437; P.A. 81-45; 81-222, S. 2; P.A. 88-128, S. 1; P.A. 99-212, S. 2; P.A. 00-99, S. 77, 154; P.A. 01-130, S. 9; P.A. 03-19, S. 68; P.A. 11-213, S. 47; P.A. 15-216, S. 2; P.A. 16-193, S. 9.)
History: 1959 act exempted parole officers from provisions of section; 1963 act exempted persons en route to or at competitions, meetings, exhibitions etc. from provisions of section if persons are U.S. residents and have permits from other states; P.A. 81-45 clarified exemption for sheriffs, parole officers or peace officers by specifying those of this state, or of any other state while engaged in the pursuit of official duties, and added exemption for federal marshal or federal law enforcement agent; P.A. 81-222 provided an exemption for any person carrying a pistol or revolver to and from a testing range at the request of the issuing authority or carrying an antique pistol or revolver; P.A. 88-128 added Subsec. (b) to require a permit holder to carry his permit while carrying his pistol or revolver; P.A. 99-212 replaced “carrying” with “transporting” in list of exceptions other than in exceptions for sheriffs, parole officers, peace officers, federal marshals, federal law enforcement agents, members of the armed forces and members of any military organization, added exception for transporting a pistol or revolver in or through the state for the purpose of “taking part in formal pistol or revolver training” or “repairing such pistol or revolver”, revised exception re out-of-state resident by replacing condition that such person have “a permit or license to carry any firearm issued by the authority of any other state or subdivision of the United States” with condition that such person “is permitted to possess and carry a pistol or revolver in the state or subdivision of the United States in which such person resides”, added definitions of “formal pistol or revolver training” and “transporting a pistol or revolver” and made provisions of section gender neutral; P.A. 00-99 deleted references to sheriff in Subsec. (a), effective December 1, 2000; P.A. 01-130 amended definition of “transporting a pistol or revolver” in Subsec. (a) re providing for a locked container if motor vehicle does not have compartment separate from passenger compartment; P.A. 03-19 made technical changes in Subsec. (a), effective May 12, 2003; P.A. 11-213 amended Subsec. (a) to exempt Department of Motor Vehicles inspectors, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 15-216 amended Subsec. (b) to add provision re presentation of permit; P.A. 16-193 made a technical change in Subsec. (a).
Seizure of loaded revolver from defendant's person and arrest under section by police lieutenant on information by reliable person that defendant was armed is justifiable action. 157 C. 114. Cited. 162 C. 3; 168 C. 395. State must introduce evidence that pistol which defendant was carrying was less than 12 inches in length in order to prove that defendant has violated section. 173 C. 254. Cited. 179 C. 576. Burden not on state to disprove every listed exception in statute. 181 C. 388. Cited. 182 C. 262; 186 C. 261; Id., 654; 189 C. 303; 190 C. 1; 192 C. 85; 193 C. 7; 195 C. 651; 196 C. 122; Id., 157; 207 C. 191; 208 C. 689; 209 C. 322; 211 C. 258; 214 C. 540; 215 C. 739; 217 C. 73; 220 C. 385; 221 C. 315; Id., 915; 222 C. 718; 225 C. 270; 227 C. 518; 228 C. 234; 229 C. 125; 231 C. 43; 233 C. 1; Id., 215; Id., 813; 234 C. 324; 235 C. 274; Id., 397; Id., 595; 240 C. 395; 242 C. 318.
Cited. 3 CA 225; Id., 289; 6 CA 189; Id., 402; 7 CA 367; 8 CA 667; 9 CA 169; judgment reversed, see 205 C. 370; Id., 330; 10 CA 532; Id., 683; Id., 697; 12 CA 662; 13 CA 139; 14 CA 140; 15 CA 330; Id., 749; 17 CA 243; 19 CA 576; 22 CA 507; 24 CA 408; Id., 685; Id., 692; Id., 737; 25 CA 433; Id., 578; Id., 734; 26 CA 65; Id., 367; 27 CA 263; Id., 403; 28 CA 833; judgment reversed, see 227 C. 518; 30 CA 26; Id., 68; 31 CA 385; Id., 614; 32 CA 724; 34 CA 103; Id., 223; 35 CA 541; 36 CA 345; Id., 483; Id., 576; Id., 805; Id., 831; 37 CA 276; 38 CA 247; 39 CA 82; Id., 224; Id., 242; Id., 563; 40 CA 60; Id., 151; Id., 189; 41 CA 515; Id., 565; Id., 831; 42 CA 41; 43 CA 252; 44 CA 790; 45 CA 261; Id., 282; 46 CA 640. Evidence presented at trial was insufficient to support conviction of carrying pistol without a license because state did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that gun barrel was less than 12 inches in length. 48 CA 193. State's search of state and city database for evidence of permit to carry pistol was insufficient to meet state's burden of establishing that defendant lacked a valid permit to lawfully carry a pistol on date of incident because state failed to establish that defendant was a resident of the city or had a place of business within the city during the 60-day period immediately preceding the alleged conduct. 156 CA 175; judgment reversed in part, see 324 C. 782. Section is designed to prohibit the carrying of a pistol without a permit and not the mere possession of one; constructive possession of a pistol will not suffice to support a conviction under section; to establish that a defendant carried a pistol or revolver, the state must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he bore a pistol or revolver upon his person while exercising dominion or control of it; because there is no temporal requirement in section, and no requirement that the pistol or revolver be moved from one place to another to prove that it was carried, a defendant can be shown to have carried a pistol or revolver upon his person, within the meaning of section, by evidence proving, inter alia, that he grasped or held it in his hands, arms or clothing or otherwise bore it upon his body for any period of time while maintaining dominion or control over it. 184 CA 332; judgment affirmed, see 335 C. 212.
Cited. 27 CS 275; 35 CS 516.
Subsec. (a):
Cited. 224 C. 546; 237 C. 518. “Place of business” means premises containing a business in which a person has a proprietary, controlling or possessory interest, not a location at which a person is merely employed. 260 C. 219. “Place of business” exception to handgun permit requirement inapplicable to taxicab. 270 C. 198.
Cited. 20 CA 137; 22 CA 321; 26 CA 242; 33 CA 521; 35 CA 138; 38 CA 750; 42 CA 768; 45 CA 591; 46 CA 216. Cumulative evidence established beyond a reasonable doubt that defendant's firearm had a barrel less than 12 inches long. 69 CA 1. Jury instructions that improperly included an explanation of the principles of constructive possession did not violate defendant's due process rights where such instructions had no probable effect on the jury. 71 CA 656. Court upheld prior rulings that convictions under both this Subsec. and Sec. 53a-217(a)(1) do not constitute double jeopardy. 83 CA 377. To obtain a conviction, the state was required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that defendant carried a pistol, for which he lacked a permit, while outside his dwelling house or place of business. 126 CA 192.