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Connecticut firearms board denies two appeals, grants one after hearings on past arrests and disclosure errors
Summary
At its June 11 public hearing, the Connecticut Board of Firearms Permit Examiners denied two pistol-permit appeals, granted one, and recorded a withdrawal. Board members cited undisclosed arrests, sealed records, recent pursuits and resistance to police in deciding denials, and urged applicants to provide dispositions, pardons or risk assessments when they reapply.
The Connecticut Board of Firearms Permit Examiners on June 11 heard multiple appeals of pistol-permit denials and took three formal outcomes: two denials, one approval of an appeal and one withdrawal.
At the start of the hearing the chair reviewed the board’s process — testimony is under oath, hearsay is not allowed, the burden of proof is on the issuing authority, and tie votes favor the appellant. All people planning to speak were sworn in.
Votes at a glance: 25401 — appeal withdrawn by the applicant after the board identified a timing error on the training certificate; 25343 — board sustained the issuing authority (denied the appeal) because of numerous arrests and inadequate documentation of dispositions; 25380 — the board granted the appellant’s appeal after hearing his testimony and considering time since some incidents; 25386 — the board sustained the issuing authority (denied the appeal) citing recent incidents that raised concerns about judgment and public safety.
Case 25401: withdrawn Sgt. Paul Laukaitis of the North Haven Police Department told the board that an applicant’s training certificate had expired in June 2024 while the application packet was submitted in October 2024, so the file showed the required course was not within the two-year statutory window. "Statutorily, you have a faulty permit application; we won't be able to issue," a board member said. The appellant withdrew the appeal and was told to complete a current course and submit a corrected application.
Case 25343: denied Bridgeport police and board questions focused on records from New York that listed a string of arrests and charges spanning the early 2000s through 2021. The board noted many entries on the New York reports were arrest listings without clear dispositions. Members pressed whether incidents resulting in alleged harassment and confrontation with firefighters had resulted in convictions or only arrests; police said reports were short and did not always include outcomes. One board member said the overall pattern and lack of clarifying dispositions left "too many questions" and voted for the issuing authority. The board recommended the appellant obtain court dispositions, pardons or a risk assessment and reapply with fuller documentation.
Case 25380: appeal granted Detective Kevin Connor of the Watertown Police Department summarized concerns the town had raised, including that the applicant previously had a protective order and a permit revocation, and that there had been calls for service related to alcohol and prescription medication. The appellant described a 2019 domestic-related protective order, a later DUI that led to a six-month license suspension, a serious workplace injury that required prescription pain medication, and contested circumstances around recovery and storage of his firearms. After asking for clarification about the DUI, the protective order and current safe storage practices, several board members said the applicant had been candid and had a substantial employment and health history; the board announced the appellant’s appeal was successful. Staff advised that reapplication timing and documentation requirements remain in effect.
Case 25386: denied Milford officers described a May 2023 motor-vehicle crash in which the appellant fled the scene, resisted arrest and had a pocketknife visible in the vehicle. Two days later the officer said the applicant eluded a stop and was subsequently located and arrested after a pursuit. The appellant acknowledged poor judgment, described a permanent facial injury sustained in the 2023 arrest and said he had taken steps to improve. Still, several members said the incidents were recent and represented a pattern that raised public-safety and judgment concerns. "His behavior calls into question his judgment and his suitability for holding a pistol permit," Captain Holder told the board. The board voted for the issuing authority and denied the appeal.
What comes next The board advised appellants denied today to gather court dispositions, pardon information or a professional risk assessment and to consult with their town authority before reapplying. The board also approved minutes from its May 21 meeting and agreed to review proposed bylaws/regulations at a future meeting after members and staff circulate comments to the Attorney General's office and the secretary of state's public-comment process as required.
Reporting note: Quotes and attributions in this story are taken directly from the hearing record. The board identified several statutory constraints (including the two-year training timeline and the effect of certain convictions on the board’s authority) during the session. The board's written decisions will be mailed to the parties within 20 days, per the chair's reading of procedure.
