◆ CONNECTICUT · CARRY LAW
Connecticut.
Information, not legal advice. Confirm with the state before you carry.
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◆ THE SHORT ANSWEREvery tile below is one of the answers further down this page, with its citation.
Concealed, no permit
No
Open, no permit
No
In a vehicle, no permit
No
Getting a permit
Yes, shall-issue
- You must produce your permit if an officer asks for it.
- Magazine capacity is capped here.
- A permit is required to buy a firearm, not just to carry one.
- This state has an extreme-risk protective order law.
◆ CARRYING HERE
What Connecticut requires
The state's permit is the Permit to Carry a Pistol or Revolver, issued by your local authority, then the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection.
Carrying without a permit3
Can I carry concealed here without a permit?
Permitless or "constitutional" carry. "Limited" means some adults qualify and others do not. Read the qualifier.
No
You need a permit. Carrying a pistol without one is an offense anywhere but your home, your own land, or your place of business.
Can I carry openly here without a permit?
No
No. Connecticut reaches open carry from a different angle: knowingly carrying a firearm WITH INTENT TO DISPLAY it is its own offense, outside the same three places.
Can I keep a loaded handgun in my car without a permit?
No
No, and this is the harshest vehicle rule in the country. An unpermitted pistol in a car is a CLASS D FELONY, and its mere presence is prima facie evidence against the owner, the driver AND every passenger.
Permits and age3
If I want this state's permit, will they issue one?
Shall-issue means the state must issue to any qualified applicant. May-issue leaves it to an official's discretion.
Yes, shall-issue
Two stages. A local authority first, then the state. Connecticut screens on suitability as well as on a checklist, so the label understates how much judgment is involved.
Can I get this state's permit if I live somewhere else?
Yes
Yes. § 29-28 provides for permits for out-of-state residents, which is the only route for a visitor. Connecticut recognizes no other state’s permit.
How old do I have to be to carry here?
The floor for the least restrictive lawful route. Where permitless and permit ages differ, the qualifier says so.
If an officer stops you1
Do I have to tell an officer I am armed?
"Required" means you must volunteer it on contact. "On request" means only when asked.
Only if asked
Carry the permit whenever you are carrying, and produce it when an officer asks.
Buying and owning2
Do I need a state-issued card just to own or buy a firearm here?
Illinois' FOID is the main example. Distinct from a carry permit.
Required
Yes. You need a permit or an eligibility certificate before you may buy a pistol, and Connecticut extends a similar requirement to long guns.
Is there a limit on magazine capacity here?
Only in some cases
10 rounds. Connecticut banned larger magazines in 2013 with a registration window for those already owned. Possession of an unregistered one is the offense.
How the state governs guns2
Can a city here write its own gun rules on top of the state's?
Full preemption means state law is the only law. Partial means some cities may go further. Check locally.
Sometimes, check the city
Limited. Connecticut has no broad preemption statute, and municipalities regulate some firearm matters locally. Check the town.
No general firearms preemption in Conn. Gen. Stat.Read at the Connecticut General Assembly ↗Checked 9 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read chapter 529’s full section list on 2026-09-06, permits, eligibility certificates, seizure warrants, vehicles, trafficking, with no preemption section among them.Does this state have a red-flag law?
An extreme risk protection order lets a court order firearms surrendered temporarily.
Yes, this state has one
Yes, and Connecticut invented this. Its 1999 risk-warrant law was the first in the United States, and it still works through a prosecutor or police officer applying to a judge rather than a family petition.
◆ RECIPROCITY
Permits Connecticut honors
If you are visiting Connecticut, this is whether your permit counts here.
Pick a state for the full answer with its citation, or find it in the grid below.
Not honored54
◆ RECIPROCITY, THE OTHER WAY
Where Connecticut permits are honored
If you live in Connecticut, this is where your permit travels.
Pick a state for the full answer with its citation, or find it in the grid below.
Honored30
Honored, with a condition1
Not honored21
Not settled2
◆ NFA ITEMS
Suppressors and NFA legality
Federal registration is required everywhere these are legal. A state can prohibit them regardless, and several do.
Can I possess a suppressor here?
Federal NFA registration is required everywhere it is legal. State law can prohibit it regardless.
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork. Connecticut has no suppressor ban of its own.
No suppressor prohibition found in Conn. Gen. Stat. ch. 529Read at the Connecticut General Assembly ↗Checked 9 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read chapter 529’s full section list on 2026-09-06 and found no silencer or suppressor provision.Can I possess a short-barreled rifle here?
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork. Connecticut’s short-barrel offense reaches shotguns only.
Can I possess a short-barreled shotgun here?
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork. The offense expressly exempts anyone federally permitted.
Can I possess a machine gun here?
Federally, civilian possession is limited to pre-1986 registered transferables.
Legal
Lawful only if registered with the state as well as federally. Connecticut requires its own machine gun registration on top of the federal one.
Can I possess an AOW here?
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork.
No any-other-weapon provision in Conn. Gen. Stat. chs. 943, 952Read at the Connecticut General Assembly ↗Checked 9 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Searched the full text of chapters 943 and 952 on 2026-09-07 for “cane gun”, “pen gun”, “wallet gun”, “zip gun”, “unconventional pistol”, “disguised firearm” and “any other weapon”. 1.2 million characters, zero hits.◆ SOURCES
Where this comes from
This is information, not legal advice. Gun law changes often and the penalty for getting it wrong is criminal. Confirm every answer with the state before you carry there.
- The authority
- your local authority, then the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection ↗
- ATF’s index
- Connecticut firearm statutes ↗ (PDF)