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Realistic processing time for permit in CT?

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adouglas

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The state law that says the issuing city has eight weeks to respond to a permit application appears to be a total joke. I've heard numerous stories about outrageous waiting periods to obtain a pistol permit, especially in Connecticut's larger cities. I happen to live in Bridgeport.

I submitted my notarized application, complete with two photos, three notarized references (one from my employer), fingerprints and a notarized "really, no kidding, I ain't lying" document nine weeks ago today. I gave them an extra week just in case of a delay caused by the postal service.

I just got off the phone with the Permits office at the Bridgeport Police Department.

"In Bridgeport, it's at least 16 weeks. I haven't gotten all of my responses yet."

I'm interested in hearing from other Connecticut residents. Did you encounter this? What if anything did you do about it?
 
Insufficient caffeine levels prevented me from noticing during that call that the answer I got was standardized...I was told that they had not received all the paperwork back at BPD... yet the officer never actually asked who I was or did she look up my application.

So I called back, taking great care to strike up a friendly rapport with her (always a good idea...being confrontational gets you nowhere when it comes to bureaucracies).

Nice lady. Turns out they DO have everything, and she claimed it'd go to the detective bureau today.

I asked if she could give me any clue how long it might take them to process, and of course she didn't want to get herself in hot water by making any promises. But some pleasant banter got "hopefully by Friday."

The call ended on a very positive note.

We shall see.....
 
When they say 8 weeks, they really mean 8 weeks. Mine came in at the end of week # 8.

**** Edit: This is in reference to a non-resident permit.
 
adouglas said:
What town/city?
Click to expand...

I'm not going to say, I just offer it as evidence that most of the holdup is at the town level. The clerk at my police station said the FBI and state are turning them around pretty quickly, and they don't sit on them locally like some towns. This was in October/November of last year.
 
I ran into holdups on both the state and local level. After harassing them just about every day past the 8 week deadline, I finally got it around week 10.
 
I got mine back just at eight weeks but that is only b/c one of my best friends is a cop for the PD in my town in FFLD County.He said it would've sat there another 2-3 weeks.My wife received her's in 3 weeks from a much smaller town in New Haven County.This was almost five years ago however(before I was married).The only hold-up I see is in the large cities like Bridgeport,New Haven,Hartford where they are recieving many applications compared to small towns who only get a few per month and process them fast.The hold-up is not at the FBI.It is true about the 8 week state law however by the time one would contact the Board of Firearms Examiners and get the ball rolling you'd prob. have your permit.I don't know exactly what the course of action is legally though.[smile]
 
Depends on what town you're in, of course. I know people that have waited 6 months, only to finally be told there is nothing on file.

Mine took about 7-8 weeks from mailing the prints to getting the call. But, I am in a small town.
 
Could you guys post your Town?

I'm wondering how long my wait will be.

It's great having a site that has local information, however just posting "I got mine is 3 weeks" without providing a Town location, the information is kinda useless.

I applied for my permit on May 29th -- West Hartford PD.

I was told by the Assistant Police Chief it takes about 8 weeks. It sounded like a canned response, so I'm hoping that my town will process things alittle faster.

Anybody recently apply in West Hartford?
 
When I applied for my Pistol Permit, it was 6 years ago, so things may have changed, but not too much I'm sure.

I lived in Fairfield and it took me ~8 or 9 weeks.
 
Well here is my update. I received a phone call from the PD. My permit is ready for me to pick up. I was expecting it to come in the mail. But either way it's in. It took only 8 WEEKS......
 
"The issuing authority has 8 weeks to review your application and approve or deny. A denial may be appealed to the Board of Firearm Permit Examiners as provide in C.G.S. Section 29-32."

For those who are waiting longer that 8 weeks your local authority is in violation of ct general statutes.
 
adouglas said:
I submitted my notarized application, complete with two photos, three notarized references (one from my employer), fingerprints and a notarized "really, no kidding, I ain't lying" document nine weeks ago today. I gave them an extra week just in case of a delay caused by the postal service.
Click to expand...

Yikes, that's a lot of extra stuff beyond what state law requires. You are not required to provide that because a town can NOT require anything more than what the state requires. I didn't have to submit any photos beyond the one taken for the state permit, nor did I have to submit any letters of reference. The SLFU had a really good FAQ section, but they took it down because they didn't want people interpreting it as legal advice...I know...I asked. There was a FAQ specifically addressing references and they stated you did not have to provide them and it is NOT grounds for disqualifying a person from getting a permit if they didn't because towns don't have preemption over state law. They also said it was NOT grounds to delay a permit from being issued, either. A town cannot make anything "firearm related" any more restrictive that what the state requires. For example, Waterbury cannot declare the city as a "no carry zone" because that preempts state law. Ansonia can't ban CT legal "assault weapons" for the same reason.
"In Bridgeport, it's at least 16 weeks. I haven't gotten all of my responses yet."
Click to expand...

State statute says NO MORE than 8 weeks. The FAQ about this to the SLFU was answered by them saying to wait 8 weeks and inquire again. If they told you it was processing, wait another couple of weeks before filing a complaint with the SLFU if you hadn't received it yet. If they gave you the "run around", then go ahead and call the SLFU at 8 weeks. Not that they'll likely do anything about it, though. [rolleyes]

I'm interested in hearing from other Connecticut residents. Did you encounter this? What if anything did you do about it?
Click to expand...

Glad my permit went smoothly and it only took 6 weeks. I was in Naugatuck at the time and I didn't have to provide anything beyond what the state required. The hardest part was getting ahold of the officer to make an appointment to do the paperwork. Seemed he was always on patrol or something and he was the "training officer", aka the ONLY one who did pistol permits...and never returned voice mails. [thinking]

If they pulled any crap with me, I would have started with the SLFU and BPFE as they are the governing authorities. Legal action (Ralph Sherman) from there as necessary. I read where someone had to wait over a YEAR for a permit it Bridgeport and that is completely UNSATISFACTORY. [angry]
 
Last edited:
CTarNUT said:
"The issuing authority has 8 weeks to review your application and approve or deny. A denial may be appealed to the Board of Firearm Permit Examiners as provide in C.G.S. Section 29-32."
Click to expand...

I was just reviewing that... Strange it's only 8 weeks for a full blown carry permit, but they have up to 90 days, which is almost 13 weeks to issue the limited, lesser eligibility certificate. Wonder why that is.
 
CTarNUT said:
"The issuing authority has 8 weeks to review your application and approve or deny. A denial may be appealed to the Board of Firearm Permit Examiners as provide in C.G.S. Section 29-32."

For those who are waiting longer that 8 weeks your local authority is in violation of ct general statutes.
Click to expand...

But if you are subject to a protracted delay, your only recourse is to file a complaint to the Board, who currently has about a 5 year wait on reviewing complaints.

Catch22.
 

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