Hi all.

I know that to many of you this issue seems like a minor one, to be ignored with all the other stuff swirling around this fair state.  But I'm discouraged with what I've read and heard during the past year with regard to what your town may be requiring from you, above and beyond State requirements,  when you applied for your pistol permit.  

The State has laid out a clear-cut application process and defined it in their regulations.  Many, but not all (thankfully) towns have begun to add their own requirements IN ADDITION TO the State regs.  This is not correct and I believe be illegal.  Since this permit is issued by the State, the State legislature passes the laws and not the local constabulary.  

So, I've determined that I'm going to be pushing and poking this issue with some powers that be and would like to have some concrete info about what towns have required what in addition to a safety course, three checks, an application and fingerprints. If your town requires notarized signatures and money orders, that's a change.  It's minor to be sure but a change none-the-less.  

What I would love is to have input from you all that goes something like this:

Town Name:  2007, had to supply three referrals

Town Name: 2008, had to have three letters of reference and an interview with a detective

Town Name: 2009, officers visited my neighbors and told them I was applying for a permit.

Town Name:  2008, Nothing different than required by the State

Town Name: 2007, had to wait three months and only issued after a stink.

Etc., etc.


Anything above and beyond the norm as supplied by the State is what I'm interested in.  I will accept anechdotal information if you can vouch for your source such as your friend from two towns over had to do this.  I will check them all out, anyway, by making phone calls or having backup sources.

I'm doing this for two reasons:  1) I'm a pistol instructor and have had students from many towns away take my course. They need to know what to expect in their town when they apply.  2) I intend to bring all of this to the attention of a friendly State Senator who is receptive to hearing more about this.  My goal is to have him nip this in the bud before it spreads and he should be able to tell me if it's possible.

When I complete my survey, I'll offer it up to the forum as a stickey for others to review.  I'll also report any progress I make (if any) with my senator in hopes of making the application process in this state more even handed and less discriminatory.

Thanks, in advance, for your help.  

Rome

Town: New Haven
Initial Date of Application Submission to issuing authority: 10-16-07
Received temporary permit from local issuing authority: 04-11-08 (gee I guess NHPD fudged that 8 week waiting period they indicated in their documentation. , , and )
Received State Pistol Permit: 04-12-08

Here is what the New Haven Police Department indicated on a letter that was given to me along with the application form and other documents when I requested a pistol permit application. Note: The information in the quote block sections below were scanned into an OCR program from the original completed forms.

It was the fees where I ran into a problem that required several calls to the NHPD to clarify. The fees (via money orders) I paid ended up being $35 to the City of New Haven, Commissioner of Public Safety $19.25, and Department of Public Service (to get the state permit at Troop G in Bridgeport) $35.

And there was another form that I had to sign and have notarized that I felt really uncomfortable with signing.


ETA: New Haven also required that I be interviewed by a detective. I was asked around 10 to 15 questions. I was asked questions like; how many firearms do you own and what kind, are you on drugs or addicted to any substances, are  you married or have a family, where do you work, do you have any problems with your neighbors, have you ever been arrested, and why do you want a pistol permit. On the question of "why do I want the permit", I asked him if anyone ever said anything other than for "self defence" or "target shooting". The detective laughed and said yes people had given some other answers which got their permit application denied. He said that if anyone gives an answer other than "self defense" or "target shooting", that they probably would have their application denied. One other issue is, in all cases, I had to go to the Union St. New Haven Police Station. If anyone has been to this station you know there is NO free parking and usually no available parking spaces anywhere around there thanks to the train station being right across the street. I had to pay to park each and every time I went there (four or five times by the end of the process). And in one case I had to walk close to a mile from a city parking lot because all the closer lots were full.

The information below is current (April 2009) and copied straight from the East Hampton Police Department (CT) cover letter to all pistol permit applicants.

You must submit the following information for your application to be accepted and processed.

1. A completed, signed and notarized application.

2. With your application you must submit two fees.  A money order or certified bank check made out to the DPS for $19.25, and a money order or certifed check made out to the East Hampton Police Department for $35.00.  Both fees are non-refundable. (Cash and personal checks will not be accepted.)

3. A copy of your birth certificate.

4. A certificate of competency from a NRA certified pistol instructor, a police firearms instructor or a gun club officer which attests to your competence with a handgun.  This certificate must be dated within a reasonable amount of time to be determined by the chief of police.

5. Three letters of recommendation (preferably from local residents).  The person, not a relative, writing the letter should identify him/herself, date and sign the letter.

6. Bring all this information with you to the police department where you will be fingerprinted.

7. You will be notified within eight weeks whether or not your application has been approved.

8. Upon issuance of your temporary state pistol permit you must apply within 60 days for a state permit at the Department of Public Safety.  You must bring a $35.00 check made payable to DPS.  Should you not apply for the state permit within the 60 days your temporary license will expire and you will have to go through the process again.

9. ALL FINGERPRINTS FOR APPLICATIONS WILL BE DONE ONLY ON MONDAY & WEDNESDAY 6:00-9:00AM AND TUESDAYS FROM 4:00-5:30PM.

Great Idea.

2007 - Waterbury - 3 Letters of Reference - 10 weeks. (everything else was standard requirements.)

If you get the results finished with many towns I'd love to see the breakdown and post it as available info for the public
on the www.ctguntalk.comforum also.

2007 - Wilton - Interview with detective, notarized documents, NRA Cert. Was asked about my neighbors (dont know them). Asked about boss (dont have one, work for myself). Asked about family (dont have any in this state). Asked about past tickets, crimes, convictions, etc. Went to high school with a few of the officers employed there. Did not mention that to the detective.



I think it was 8 weeks on the button. I had to go get the permit from the chief. He hands all applicants a gun lock before signing the temp permit in person.

Town of East Haven 2008-2009.  I put in my application December 2008 and i'm still waiting.

Some of the requirements that were asked for on the cover sheet of the application.

1.  Authorization for release of personal information form (must be notarized)

2.  Three letters from persons who can testify as to your character & reputation
    as well as  your suitability to carry a weapon.

3.  Certified check or money order payable to EHPD for $35.

4.  Certified check or money order payable to DPS for $19.25 .

What the app doesn't say is that they will do a complete personal investigation including
interviewing your neighbors and making them aware of what you are applying for.

When I turned in my application the woman in the records dept told me they would call
all of my references (not one has been contacted yet), but she said nothing
of the neighbor interviews. I found that out from a friend who just got his.

Outstanding replies, fellas.  I thank you all.  I won't let you down on this and I hope that something can be done without going to the legislature directly.  

I hope that we can get another dozen reports of different towns so the differences between towns can be clearly demonstrated.

Rome

Check out this thread I started over at CT gun talk that has some info as well.  I'm also an instructor & have only noted the towns that differ from the state requirements based on my students feedback.  The info I have on Weston & Stamford is current as of 2009.  Danbury was 2005 IIRC.

http://ctguntalk.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1235991444

Thanks for that link but it appears to be closed for some reason.  Can you check it for us?  

Rome

Hebron, 2007, 4 weeks from fingerprinting to issue, nothing different than required by state.

Isn't in amazing the differences a few miles can make?

R

Portland, just the State regs.

I guess I should add this, too:

2009  Enfield: Absolutely by the book, permit available within 6-7 weeks clean as a whistle. No notarizing, no money orders required.

Rome

2006, Stonington. I honestly can't remember how I paid or if it needed to be notarized. I just followed whatever directions my permit class instructor had given us. No problems. It didn't take longer than 6-8 weeks to go through.

Andrew

Rganger, you must have been upset about calling your employer!  Imagine if you worked for some organization that just hated firearms?  It's really an invasion of your privacy, I think.

Thanks for the contributions.  Keep 'em coming.

Rome

100% on target.  I was really upset.  



As I stated in another recent thread, I work hard to keep my personal and professional lives separate, and firearms are part of that.  Most people I work with don't know that I shoot, hunt, collect... anything!  When my boss called me and said, "I wanted to let you know that your local police department called me and asked if I thought you should be allowed to have a gun" I was mortified.  Who is to say that your boss isn't a card-carrying member for the Brady Center, or worse, a subscriber to Oprah magazine.

Recently a friend of mine, who IS the boss at his facility, got a call from a PD asking the same question about an another applicant who was his friend. He had no idea he was applying for a permit.  At first he said he thought it was a joke but the questions he was asked were terrible:  "Do you think he beats his wife?" was one that floored him.  

I hope that as guys read through this thread that they understand why this is an important issue to bring attention to.  

As a side note, when I applied for my C&R many years ago, I was told a long while after that the FBI had sent a few fellas into the neighborhood and asked my neighbors about me.  Imagine that.  

Thanks, again.

Rome

Or a boss who has their permit but is a die hard Obama supporter.

I wonder if anyone has ever been rejected because their boss or neighbors said they didn't want others to have a handgun? I also wonder if people are stupid enough to turn in a letter of recommendation to the police that was not faivorable? When people ask me to write a letter of recommendation for their permits (I've done two so far) they agreed that the letters were a joke because anyone with half a brain would discard the letter that doesn't recommend them. ETA: And I wasn't contacted by either of the two town's police departments about the letters of recomendations either.

Formal letters of recommendation get mailed directly to the company, agency, club, group, etc.  Meaning that the applicant normally does not know what the content of the letter is.  I've had some LEOs write letters for me for permits in other states and they provided me with a copy of the letter for my records, but that's out of courtesy.



I'm telling you this because the reason why towns/cities in Connecticut allow the applicant to include "letters of recommendation" through an informal process is that they are a joke... they just do it to piss you off and so that they have something in hand to show a screening process if they make a "bad" decision on giving someone a permit.

Asking for someone to write a letter of recommendation for, say, a school or a job is one thing.  Asking them to respond to a police department is quite another.  They aren't going to be so concerned about the applicant but whether or not the three parking tickets they haven't paid will be discovered or if that little brush with the law their kid had a while back will show up.  Again, it's an intimidation process, short and sweet.

I'm EXTREMELY disturbed about the "Authorization to release personal information" that the poster from New Haven and also East Haven had to sign.....notarized too.  That, to me, is the most invasive and intimidating piece of the process.  There is no stone left unturned after signing that form and it's just over the top.  The department and FBI have all the information they need on your application which you've signed and sworn to already.  They don't need to turn your life inside out for a lousey pistol permit.  My goodness.

My hats off to you all.

And, to add to this discussion, it is becoming apparent to me that Connecticut is NOT a strict "shall issue' state.  With all the additional requirements some of these towns have put up it's a wonder if anyone there goes through the process.  IF this is not addressed formally and soon, we'll be looking more like Massachusetts where local departments yeah or nea every single permit app.

Rome

Voluntown.
January of this year, my wife got her permit.
We have no type of law enforcement here.
Application provided by the first selectman's office.
Application notarized by the town clerk, two money orders, two sets of prints.
Just under four weeks from picking up her application to having her permit in hand.

By far ,the biggest PITA is the fingerprinting schedule at Troop E. Very limited hours.

I got my permit through Voluntown in '97, and even then, with the extra step of getting the  temporary paper town permit, it took under six weeks.

May I suggest contacting Rep Steve Mikutel, in addition to your state senator, about your findings. Steve is a great guy, very pro2A.
He and Rep. Shawn Johnston are the guys responsible for getting the local CSP barracks back into the permit renewal process.
Remember the bullsh*t of having to drive to Middletown to renew?
Keep us posted and good luck to your daughter!

Might be a little old and cant remember all the details
2004 Killingworth CT
no police dept. so I went to the resident state trooper.
I turned in 3 letters of recommendations but he did not specifically ask for them the NRA course instructor told me some require it. I did not want to waste time so I just did them in case.
He took personal checks.
He finger printed me with no appointment.
No notarization required.
Fast turnaround, in fact he hand delivered me my temporary permit.
Great and fast process!

All the info is important, even slightly dated stuff.  2004 is fine.  Actually many of the smaller towns use State Police and it's interesting to see how they handle things.  By the book for the most part.

Rty2own you can rest assured that I'll contact him after or while I'm discussing things with my immediate contact.  A united front, even in the face of overwhelming odds, would be a good thing.

The thing about this is the horrible descrepancies between communities and that must be resolved in my opinion.  I've got other "firecrackers" in the works with this, too.  With enough impetus, hopefully someone will listen.  I guess we'll see.  It won't be for lack of trying.

Rome

Danbury July 2004:  Girlfriend submitted her paperwork to Danbury PD.  The only thing extra they asked for was 3 letters of reference with no contacts to the authors.  Fingerprint hours were relatively flexible and displayed at the records office (old PD).  Female officer taking her prints was very polite and professional.

Issued Temp State Permit 1 day shy of 8 weeks.

Ok, so this is old, but I'll post it anyway.

1998, Trumbull. Applied to the town for a town permit, valid only within the town. Required 3 letters of reference. Waited 8 weeks and received my town permit. I then applied to the State, which was a separate application, and had to wait 8 more weeks to receive notification that I could now go to troop g and get a state permit. I don't remember if I purchasedmy first gun on my town permit or if I waited to get my state permit.

It's much simpler now, and usually, much faster.

Oh nuts.  I think you might have to register as  a member to see the thread.

[minute later...]

I just logged out there & was unable to read it myself, so that appears to be the case.  Well, the info I have follows:

Stamford, 2009:  Separate sheet included that requires information the instructor needs to fill out including test score & firearm used during training.
Weston, 2009:  Three letters of recommendation.
Danbury, 2005(?):  Three letters of recommendation.

What? An instructor has to verify a score and sign a form?  Hells bells!

Thanks for those towns.  I'm pleased with the reception of this survey by you all.  At first I was going to include the info in my letter (going to be mailed registered to my Senator before our visit) but I'm now going to make it an attachment.  He's going to choke when he sees it.

Rome

How 'bout some towns from East of the River?  You UCONN guys.  What did you have to do?

Rome

My bad. It was accidentally locked or something when it was made a sticky. It's fixed, so any members in good standing can add their data now.

http://ctguntalk.com/testforum/YaBB.pl?num=1235991444

I just got mine in Oxford. I applied on November 26, 2008, and just got it this week. That was due to me having messed up fingerprints and is a whole different story though. It was pretty much by the book except for requiring bank checks/money orders. I have the form they gave me with their town specific instructions. I'll scan it when I get home. My friend applied for his in Beacon Falls and in addition to requiring bank checks they also wanted letters of recommendation and he has to schedule an interview with the First Selectman when the background check comes back.

Well i've been a lurker for sometime and i just finished my NRA course sunday. Im from willington about 10 mins from UCONN and work in east hartford so i went to middletown to get my prints. better hours than Troop C. My town just needed a notarized application, fingerprints and two checks, one for the town fee and one for the fingerprint check for DPS. It was mailed out on thursday. I'll keep ya updated.

Thanks for that info.  I only ask about UCONN because some of my students go there and successfully obtained their permits.  It's a drag driving all the way to Middletown, isn't it?
Rome

An update on my daughter's third attempt to apply for her permit in Stonington.  Finally successful!

She had an appointment this morning to submit her app and had her fingerprints taken by, she said, a very amiable Stonington officer.  She chatted with him and he was asking questions on a general basis like 'why are you applying for this permit in the first place?".  She confidently told him that she may not ever own or carry a pistol but she liked shooting with me (her dad) and she just decided to excercise her 2nd amendment right to have the right to carry.  The officer said he agreed 100% and that permits won't be any easier to get in the future for sure, not with the current administration.  

Then she finished up her app and handed it in, already notarized.

You may recall from my first post how annoyed the woman clerk was with my daughter as she explained that she had to have her app notarized.  Well, there was a young man in front of her this morning, applying for his permit.  Lo and behold that same woman whipped out her notary stamp and did it for him right then and there!  And, she accepted both personal checks.  My daughter had to get bank checks.  So, there was somthing going on there.  What, I don't know.  But at least that's the end of it.

Now I'm still accumulating data to submit regarding the vast differences between towns.  Any other posts will be appreciated.

Rome

An update: After my daughter finally got to submit her application, fingerprints, and checks, she got a call from a Stonington LEO yesterday (05/11) and was asked to come in for an "interview'.  She went this morning )05/12).  Ladies and gentlemen' I ask you to all read through this as my daughter type up the interview as soon as she got to work and it was fresh in her mind.  Read through the questions, especially the last few.  This is NOT PART of the pistol permit process.  Those questions were totally inappropriate and if it weren't an officer asking them, they could be easlily construded differently.  

Nothing in the CT statutes allows for this intimidation process.  This is why I'm going to pursue this as far as I can with the help of some legislators.  I will probably fall flat on my face but I need to at least bring to the attention to any supporters in the legislature just how over-the-top a simple permit application can be made.

Here's the results of her "interview".  I'd remind you that my daughter is an executive with a large hospital, holds numerous degrees including a masters from Dartmouth and is currently a 4.0 student for her MBA at UConn all the while holding down an important job.  She's used to pressures and speaks and thinks very well....all at the age of 26.  (Takes more after her mother, most would say!).


She arrived on time at 8:30am, taking the time off from work.  She was greeted by Officer XXXX.  He took her into an interview room and told her that “before she got comfortable” he was going to take her picture. (!) Then he sat me down and had a checklist of things to go over with her.

He first provided her with a brochure from the State DPS that highlighted the different barracks I could go to and what she needed to bring with her once she received her temporary permit.

Then he asked her for her drivers license, which he looked at and wrote down the DL#.  Then he proceeded to ask the following questions:

1) He asked where she lived – although she had already specified them on her form.

2) He asked her the length of residence at each address.  When they got to our address he asked if people who lived on the street knew her.  When she answered yes he asked her to list two of them (who were non-relatives) and their names, addresses, and phone numbers.  

3) He asked where she worked – and for her supervisor’s name and direct extension, although she provided him with the hospital’s main line already.

4) He asked me where she went to college, what she majored in, and if she had graduated.  (She said he was a bit taken aback when she began listing three colleges and her degrees.  He evidentially didn't expect that.)

5) He asked me how long she had worked at the hospital.

6) He asked me if she was married. When she answered no he asked if she had “someone special”.  When she answered yes he wanted to know her boyfriend's name, DOB and phone number, how long we had been dating, etc.  He told me he would follow up with Jesse. (!!)

7) He asked her if she had any history of mental illness.

8) He asked her if she had ever been arrested (he asked this a few times throughout the interview).

9) He asked me what her drinking and drug use were like – I told him no drug use and occasional drinking (glass of wine with dinner).  She wasn’t going to lie about it.

10) He wanted to know why she wanted a permit.  To this she answered that she was exercising her Constitutional right.  That she grew up around guns, was comfortable around them, and although she did not intend to own a firearm she wanted to have the option to do so if she changed my mind.  She also told him that since her father [me] was an NRA member he had taught her how important it was to exercise this right – and that she obviously agreed with him.  To this he asked me if she would ever want to go range shooting.  she told him yes, that she had been before and that she was looking forward to going with her father in the future.

11) He then asked her how her temper was, and told her that if she was ever convicted of a DUI, drug use, or domestic violence that her permit would (most likely) be revoked. (!!) She told him that she understood but was not worried, as these things do not occur in her life.  He told her that she was young, and that things will change in her life that will not be good, and these are things that I should keep in mind.  He went on to really spell out the domestic violence issue – that, for example, if she was mad and threw an ash tray or glass at the wall and the police came and she was arrested she would lose my right to bear arms.  (!!!)

12) He continued and asked her if she had any social networking sites – she told him yes facebook and myspace.  That she had them since she was a freshman or sophomore in college.  When he asked her if there were any inappropriate photos on them she told him no – just a lot of college pictures and photos of my dog.  He asked if he would find any pictures of her (or people) with swastikas with captions like “kill all blacks”.   She told him absolutely not.  He did tell me that they would be looking at my profiles.  (!!!)

13) He asked me about her safety class; that a relative obviously gave it to her. She told him that yes, her father gave it to her as her father is a certified NRA instructor.  The officer told me that her father was not listed in their database and that he would have to fax his certification to him ASAP to ensure that the class was a valid one, and that her father had all the proper credentials.  [Note: All he had to do is check with the NRA.  I put my credentials on each certificate for this purpose]

14) He also asked me to review all the times she had ever called the police.  Literally every time.

They finished up well after 0900.  The LEO made it clear that they were pulling her background checks from a number of places – including the FBI – and asked her again if she had ever been arrested to which she again answered no and that her background would come back clean.

End.

I would bet my bottom dollar that the other applicants never had to endure such an interview or scathing questions.  It will be interesting because her boyfriend will be submitting his application soon and we'll see how far that goes.

Rome

Rome, all I can say is



UNBELIEVABLE!!!!



I wonder what would have happened had she refused to answer the questions and cited the fact that aside from the questions being completely out of line, they are not required as part of the permit process.  I don't know what good it would do, but I would file a complaint.

WOW. That is crazily invasive. I'd seriously think about placing a call to the chief of the PD in that town and ask them why all the intrusive questions that are out of line.

CT's own firearms forum.  WWW.CTGUNTALK.COM

Holy crap, that is ridiculous. Was he trying to get her flustered and maybe lose her cool? Personally, I might have been like WTF after a few questions.

ETA: I'm about 2 weeks shy of the 5 month mark of waiting for mine, I'm starting to lose my cool.

That is insane.  I would have answered each question with.  "I'm sorry, but that information is none of your business".

Those questions are uncalled for.  I would like to say file a formal complaint after everything goes through but I feel that they might use that as an excuse to make life more difficult for you.  I just hope everything goes through so you and your daughter can put this in the past.  The treatment is appalling though.

On a separate note - For your daughter and I being the same age, in light of her accomplishments, I feel like I may be slacking

You, sir, are not slacking in the least. I know from your posts here and your activity in the State that you're most certainly a very active and contributing citizen of this fair state.  At your young age you've got a lot of time ahead of you to make your mark, too.

We are very concerned about the state of affairs here in CT and after she finishes this we are considering moving forward on a number of fronts.  However we aren't dummies and know the score.  Isn't it amazing, however, that we legal, legitimate citizens have to put up with kind of harassment even though we're right?  This is the kind of stuff that fuels the Tea Parties, ladies and gentlemen.  I recently asked a friend of mine how the beginnings of a "push back" by residents might manifest itself.  He replied that they already had happened.......when about a million citizens met in virtually every big and small city in the country to voice their displeasure with the current state of affairs.  Maybe he was right.

I'm waiting for my appointment with the legislator I know and am prepared to present my findings to him including this transcript.  I'm sure he'll be as shocked as you all were.

Rome

I find this to be outrageous!  

Do you think her boyfriend would be willing to bring a recorder along to take audio if he is called in for an interview?  I imagine the officer would deny it, but there would be no reason to if he has nothing to hide.  It would be great to have a recording, especially if the person being interviewed refused to answer personal questions that have no bearing on receiving a permit.  The only thing that sucks is the Board of Firearm Permit Examiners has a big backlog of cases if Stonington rejects the application.

I'm going to make that suggestion to him when he goes for his interview........if he even has one.  My gut tells me that there is a very subjective approach to this. Even if her boyfriend does have an interview, I'd bet the questions are more plain-vanilla but, I'm going to ask that maybe he leave his cell phone on "record" by accident.  

Thankfully, this morning, I'm not as blood-boiling mad as  was yesterday but my fervor to see this kind of abuse rectified or at least acknowledged has been redoubled.

Rome

Thanks

Andover, 2006 ... Had to supply three references, but none were contacted. Required a interview with resident state trooper ( I know him personally, so we had a nice conversation about guns and hunting ) ... All considered, I had a very easy time. ... Hardest part was the wait.

Don't listen to him.

Yer a fuckin slacker, I can tell.

My day was brightened up the ruined all in a matter of 20 minutes.  Thanks a lot

Done and done.

I met with my Senator last night (05/14) for about 20 minutes.  I had prepared a carefully worded letter outlining the problems I'd uncovered, documented everything with a four page summary of my investigation, and included a copy of the current State application and a copy of the clearly stated State regs regarding applications.   I didn't have to go into a lot of detail as I had forewarned him with an email indicating what I'd discovered.

In essence it comes down to this:  The State controls the handgun permit application process now, not the towns.  The towns are just the portals to the State app process.  Many towns adhere strictly to the letter of the law such as Enfield and Hebron.  However, more and more towns have added multiple layers of additional 'requirements'.  Some are minor such as requiring three reference letters but the authors won't be called.  Others, however, are so onerous that anyone without a cast iron stomach would ever apply.  It's incredibly discriminatory.  Why should one Connecticut resident be treated so differently than another for a permit issued by the State!  Apply for your hunting or finishing license is the same everywhere.  Applying for your driver's license is the same everywhere.  Why not a pistol permit?   In addition, there is a massive invasion of privacy occurring in many towns which are requiring educational institution information, personal and corporate credit checks, interviews with neighbors and the like.  I was told bluntly that some resident simply rescinded their apps after they discovered they would be 'outed' by the police to their neighbors and employer.  The decision to apply for a handgun permit is a private one.  It should remain that way.  The police have no right to broadcast that decision to anyone they like.    

Most importantly, however, is the contacting of the employers of applicants.  In one case I know of personally the detective asked the employer "do you feel that "BOB" is stable enough to carry a gun?  Consider this.  If a boss/employer is an 'anti-firearms' kinds of guy and has a promotion open with two candidates, which one do you think he'll lean toward?  It's pretty obvious to me that this practice, along with many others, is just an intimidation process specifically designed to dissuade legitimate citizens from obtaining their permit.  And, who says they'll carry?  Who says they'll even buy a handgun?  Many of my students don't carry but just wanted to be able to legally have a handgun in their homes and to be able to take it to their range for practice of just plain fun. Imagine a neighbor whose kids play with your kids.  The neighbor gets a call from the police informing them that you are applying for a pistol permit.  Well, that neighbor informs her children that they are never to go to your home again.  You might as well be a sex offender to some people.

Finally, gentlemen, I pointed out the absurd irony of a lot of these "investigative" tactics.  Here in CT we're all most painfully aware of that fact that not ONE MENTION is made about having to be 'concealed'.  However, if you happen to imprint in your pocket or, while reaching up for a can of peas in a grocery store you might expose the muzzle or butt of a pistol on your belt, someone will call the cops and you'll be explaining yourself and may even be arrested.  While the regs don't require it, the cops most certainly do require clandestine, concealed carry.  Yet.....and this is the ironic part.....the cops have zero concern about informing bosses, co-workers, and neighbors that someone has applied for a permit in the first place!  So, while conceal carry is a must, it's ok to broadcast to the small world of an applicant's circle of friends and co-workers the fact that you're wanting a permit.  That information can lead to an altering of someone's friends, family, neighbors, and employer.  It's unconscionable, plain and simple.  

I'll close by saying that I believe the Senator who is going to run with this is very interested in helping.  He and I briefly discussed some ideas he had about trying to level the playing field to where it should be.  Do I think it'll make a difference?  Well, truthfully, probably not.  It's my contention that more and more 'requirements' will be added including DNA swabs and other identifying processes.  Having your permit today is a good thing but eventually, I believe that at renewal, we'll be required to add more info in an effort to scare away current permit holders.  

Still, we don't know what might happen.  I'll most certainly post back here as any information of the process goes forward.  I did tell the Senator that I did NOT represent any organization and was doing this as a private citizen.  I did not want my name bandied about, however, and he said he'd work as quietly as possible but would keep me informed every step of the way.   Let's all cross our fingers!  

Rome

Cabinetman, can you post the information, letters, etc. you used when discussing the various issues with your senator? Also which senator did you speak with? Others may find your research and information helpful in their dealings with the politicians.

I can, eventually.  I'm just thinking about it first.  

The last thing I want is to become the center of this discussion or a target for some department even though I made it clear that I was not interested in singling out one over another.  And, I wanted the Senator to feel free to investigate further using my leads but not ride into battle under my banner.  I'm just a citizen here like everyone else, nothing more.   In the near future I'll post up my letter which outlines my contentions and includes the facts as I found them and my requests for repair of this issue.  I'd like just the Senator to take move forward first, however, before I "go public" with it.  

I do want to thank all of you who posted up here.  Having a forum like this has made it much easier to ascertain just what the heck was going on.  What I found amazing is that this had been happening for so long but few of us probably were aware of it.  As an instructor, too, it's critical that I provide any new applicant as much information as possible so they know what they're in for.      

I don't have a problem telling you that it was Senator John Kissel I discussed this with, however.  John is a supporter of the 2nd and firearms in general and gets good grades from the NRA.  He's a bright star in a very gloomy sky in Connecticut, however, and whether or not he's successful on any level will be interesting to watch.  John does have a plan to move on this but, again, I want him to be able to work quietly with this.

I do appreciate your request and it'll come forward eventually.  

If anyone has a specific question or needs info they think I might have you can always email me directly.  I'll do my best to reply.  

Rome

2008
Manchester
Bank Checks
No references, but direct supervisor at work was on the app.  No idea if he was contacted.  If he was, he would never tell me, but I gave the HQ # in Detroit anyways.
4 or 5 weeks.  Wife's took 7 weeks and she submitted her paperwork a few weeks later than I did.
No questions out of the ordinary, no interview.  Easy as long as you can jump through hoops.

I had heard stories of Manchester being one of "those" towns where they would make you interview with the Chief and do a bunch of other things, but this was just by the book.



Oh and realfastv6..........'zat you Justin?