The Smallest Minority

It's funny that for most Canadians, they know that they can't have guns, no matter what happens nor how bad it gets. It's not on the psyche. Americans, on the other hand, when the SHTF, they know deep down somewhere that guns are an option. Lets hope it stays that way.

For the record, in Washington State where I live, it's a week for a handgun (without a CCW permit), and immediate for a long gun. In most states you can acquire a pistol immediately in a private transaction as well. Just go to www.thehighroad.org, become a member, and find a pistol for sale near you. It's that easy, if you're not a criminal scum. We're pretty good on THR in vetting out the crapcakes.

Here in New Mexico, you fill out the 4473, the gunshop calls NICS, if no bad, you walk out the store. 5 minutes, long OR short gun. If undetermined, or locked down(?), 3 days. "An armed society is a POLITE society" to borrow a phrase.

It's easy here in Oklahoma, too. Choose the gun, fill in the form, wait about five minutes, pay the price, and walk out with a new gun.

We're quite civilized here. Self-defense is viewed as a virtue, not as a crime.

The two criminals who broke into that doctors house and murdered his family had a total of 38 felony convictions between them, as well as a long stream of felonies which were not prosecuted as a result of plea bargaining.

Walk in, walk out, long or short in Oregon and Texas too.

Sometimes I think the big Glock poster, and a couple of targets (well used, and dead center) hanging in my garage, when the door is open and the house is locked, probably deters away more people scouring my neighborhood than the whimpy little Brinks sign.

Scully, you're a genius. I still have my two targets from qualifying for my CCW license and I've been wondering whether to throw 'em away. Now I know what to do with 'em.

What kind of frame, do you think? Oak or walnut?

Good grief, 90 days in CT?? Do the pols there hate law-abiding people or what? A life of crime has its perks: the criminals get to skip all the red tape and take possession immediately.

And what in the name of all that is holy were those sh*tbags doing out of prison with rap sheets like that? I hope there is a lot of public outcry about that.

DJ,

My only gripe about Oklahoma is that I can't drive through with my pistol loaded unless I have a permit. I'm going on a road trip, and will be driving through OK on the way back. In most other states on my route I can open carry in the car; I'm bummed that I have to stop at the OK state line and put the pistol in the trunk.

In Michigan, there's a License to Purchase (waived if purchaser already holds a CHL). Said license takes 10-20 minutes at a police station, and requires answering a T/F questionnaire that is 10 questions long. During that time, the police will ask the State Police to check criminal background of purchaser.

Next, travel to gun store, select gun, fill out ATF form 4473.

Within a week, present said firearm for safety inspection at a police station (30 minutes).

I do not know if this entire run-around also applies to long-guns; I have gone through it for both pistols I've purchased.

It's hard to keep it under an hour, but the LtP is valid for a few days after it is issued, and the safety inspection can happen within a week. (The safety-inspection time limit might be up to 10 business days, I honestly can't remember.)

Sarah:

Turns out that in CT parole boards only get a small summary of the last crime not the whole rap sheet so "no one knew" what they were about and so they walked!

From what I understand there has been an effort to change this for several years, maybe now it will be done - too late for the family.

Sarah, I have the same gripe. I lived for a time in New Mexico, where loaded carry in a vehicle is legal without a license. I was born and raised up here in Oklahoma, and I found it a bit of a regression to finally move "home" after 30 years away only to be a mite less allowed to defend myself.

Hence, my CCW license.

I need it to carry a backup of any kind during the deer muzzleloading season. There are wild hogs where I hunt, some of them quite large, and the naked feeling produced by firing a single shot rifle that requires a minute or two to reload is not pleasant.

Yep.

In response to this 2004 statement from gun-fearing, gun safety "expert" David Hemenway...

"Rarely does a suburban homeowner beat a burglar to the draw in his living room at 3 a.m."

...I wrote:

Well, if the alternative is to be beaten and stuffed down into my basement while my wife and daughters are upstairs being tied to their beds, raped, and burned alive, I'll take my f***ing chances.

Thanks anyway.

When I lived in Boston, it took me close to $900 and 106 days to get permission to own a handgun.

And, Ted Kennedy will have you believe that requiring photo ID at the voting booth is an egregious restriction on the right to vote, calling it a poll tax.

Such is reality in the "progressive" hamlet of Boston. Rich white folks get to own guns. Low-income residents of color? Sorry, no rights for you.

I lived in CT for 30+ years, grew up there got my LTC there in the 1990's. It never used to be that bad; you'd pay $35 buck for a town permit for a handgun and be done. A couple of months wait though if I remember correctly.

Interestingly you used to have to then get a state permit through the state police for ANOTHER $35 bucks. Otherwise your LTC was only good in the town it was issued.

I've bought guns at Hoffmans. It is a really nice store and they are good guys.

As far as the 90 day wait mentioned in the article, it is because of the permit delay, once you have your permit you can buy cash and carry.

NRA / ILA

CT Firearms Laws

Compiled by:
NRA-Institute for Legislative Action
11250 Waples Mill Road
Fairfax, Virginia 22030
(800) 392-8683
www.nraila.org

A synopsis of state laws on purchase,
possession And carrying of fireArms.

Connecticut
(As of August, 2002)
QUICK REFERENCE CHART
Rifles and
Shotguns Handguns
Permit to Purchase No* Yes*
Registration of Firearms No No
Licensing of Owners No No
Permit to Carry No Yes
*2-week waiting period
STATE CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISION
“Every citizen has a right to bear arms in defense of himself and the state.” Article 1, Section 15.
PURCHASE
No state permit is required for the purchase of rifles or shotguns. A permit to carry, permit to sell handguns, or handgun eligibility certificate is required to purchase a pistol or revolver.
It is unlawful to sell or transfer a handgun to any person who is forbidden to possess a handgun (see POSSESSION), or to a person under 21. However, a handgun may be temporarily transferred to a person under 21 for target shooting under the immediate supervision of a person eligible to possess a handgun and such use is otherwise permitted by law.
No person, firm, or corporation shall sell or transfer any pistol or revolver unless an application provided by the Commissioner of Public Safety is filled out. Copies are sent to the Commissioner, to the Police Chief where the applicant resides, or, if there is no Police Chief, to the first Selectmen or Warden of such municipality. There is a 2 week waiting period from the date of the application. Upon sale or transfer, the recipient of the pistol or revolver signs a form containing a full description of himself or herself and a full description of the pistol or revolver, including caliber, make, model and manufacture number and date of transaction. Copies of the receipt are sent to the Chief of Police, Commissioner of Public Safety, a copy is retained by the person making the sale or transfer, and a copy is given to the recipient of the pistol or revolver. The receipt shall also contain the identification number of the recipient’s permit to carry, permit to sell handguns at retail, or handgun eligibility certificate and the authorization number designated for the transfer by the Department of Public Safety. The Commissioner shall establish a database that any person selling or transferring a handgun may access to determine if the recipient’s permit to carry, permit to sell, or eligibility certificate is valid.
No person, firm or corporation shall sell, deliver or otherwise transfer any pistol or revolver at retail unless such pistol or revolver is equipped with a reusable trigger lock, gun lock or gun locking device... Any person, firm or corporation which engages in the retail sale of a pistol or revolver must provide the purchaser a written warning which states in block letters not less than one inch in height: UNLAWFUL STORAGE OF A LOADED FIREARM MAY RESULT IN IMPRISONMENT OR FINE.
A handgun eligibility certificate, valid for 5 years, shall be issued by the Commissioner of Public Safety within 60 days after receipt of the National Criminal History Records check from the FBI to a person who may lawfully possess a handgun, who completes a handgun safety course, is fingerprinted, and pays $35. The eligibility certificate entitles a person to purchase, but not to carry, a handgun. The commissioner must be notified within 2 business days of an address change.
The waiting period is waived for police and parole officers, holders of a state permit to carry, holders of a permit to sell handguns, or holders of a handgun eligibility certificate, but the holder of such permit must verify with the issuing authority that such permit is still valid and has not been suspended or revoked. Holders of a valid Connecticut hunting license and active or reserve members of the armed forces are also exempt from the waiting period on rifles and shotguns. Antique firearms are exempted from both the waiting period and application form requirements.
POSSESSION
No state permit is required for the possession of rifles or shotguns.
It is unlawful to possess a handgun by a person who has been convicted of a felony; convicted as a delinquent of a serious juvenile offense which includes illegal possession of a controlled substance, negligent homicide, third degree assault, first degree reckless endangerment, second degree unlawful restraint, rioting, or second degree stalking; discharged from custody within the preceding 20 years after acquittal by reason of mental disease or defect; confined by court order for mental illness within the preceding 12 months; subject to a restraining or protective order involving physical force; or an illegal alien. It is unlawful to possess any other firearm by a person who has been convicted of a felony.
CARRYING
A permit is required to carry a handgun on or about one’s person, or in a vehicle.
Application for a permit is made to the local Chief of Police or other issuing authority. The applicant must provide a full description and be fingerprinted. The Chief of Police is required to conduct an investigation concerning the applicant’s “suitability to carry any such weapons.” The applicant must successfully complete a handgun safety course approved by the commissioner. An approved course includes one taught by NRA-certified instructors.
A permit may be issued if the issuing authority finds that the applicant “intends to make no use of any pistol or revolver which he may be permitted to carry . . . other than a lawful use,” and that the applicant “is a suitable person to receive such permit.” Connecticut is in transition from a local permits process to a State Permit Process. On and after Oct. 1, 2001, no local permit for the carrying of pistols and revolvers shall be renewed. To obtain a State Permit to Carry, one must complete the prescribed application forms put out by the Commissioner of Public Safety. The application fee is $70.00 plus sufficient funds as required to be transmitted to the FBI to cover the cost of a National Criminal History Records Check. The issuing authority has eight weeks to inform the applicant whether his or her application has been approved or denied.
A state wide permit to carry is valid (unless revoked for cause) for five years. The renewal fee for a carry permit shall be $35.00.
A permit to carry may be revoked “for cause” if the issuing authority determines that the permit holder is no longer a “suitable person” to carry a handgun having been convicted of a felony or specified misdemeanor or upon the occurrence of an event which would disqualify the holder from being issued a license.
An eligibility certificate or permit to carry revocation or refusal to issue or renew may be appealed within 90 days to the Board of Firearm Permit Examiners, State Armory, 505 Hudson Street, 5th Floor, Hartford, CT 06106. No fee is charged for this review. A revocation or refusal to issue will be overturned by the Board if “just and proper cause” is found. Either the applicant or the issuing authority may appeal any decision of the Board to the courts.
No permit to carry is required:
1. if the person transporting is a “peace officer”;
2. while in one’s own home or place of business;
3. while transporting a handgun from the place of purchase to one’s residence or place of business if “it is contained in the package in which it was originally wrapped at the time of sale”;
4. while moving one’s residence from one place to another;
5. while transporting a handgun from his residence or place of business to a place of repair and back;
6. to transport an antique handgun.
A permit to carry is required to carry a handgun outside one’s home (even though one may still be on his own property, i.e. there is no express “curtilage” exception) or in any “place of business” in which one is merely an employee, not an owner or operator. A permit is also required to transport a handgun back and forth between one’s home and place of business, or to and from a range for target shooting.
It is unlawful to possess a firearm on public or private elementary or secondary school property. This prohibition shall not apply to a person with a firearm carrying permit, with permission from school officials, or while traversing school property with an unloaded firearm for the purpose of gaining access to lands open to hunting or for other lawful purposes, provided entry is not prohibited by school officials.

I received my copy of Armed America from B&N yesterday. Great book. Thanks for the tip Kevin. I'm gonna make sure it's sitting out whenever I have guests over.

Mine arrived this morning. Looks interesting. I'll be reading it tonight.

The wait of 90 days in CT is including the permit. If you have that permission slip, you can take one home the same day. Still Unconstitutional (by which I mean the CT Constitution...).

When I lived in a slightly rough neighbor hood, I had the static cling NRA window decals on the front and back doors, and I carried fairly openly on my own property. I didn't have much in the way of problems.

1894C pretty much covered it, but in short:

You cannot purchase a handgun in CT without a permit. Applying for a permit requires the NRA handgun safety course certificate & an application filled out at your local police department. By state statute, they are supposed to let you know yes or no in 60 days. Some police departments aren't so punctual.

Once you have your approval from the local police department, you take it to the state police barracks who take your picture & give you the state permit. The costs are $35 to local police, $25 for fingerprinting & $35 to the state police. Of course, there's the cost of the NRA safety course.

Once you're thru all that, no waiting period on handguns & long arms. Note that long arms can be purchased without a permit after a 2 week waiting period. A hunting license also negates the waiting period for long arms.