[chionactis]

moving from AZ to CT this summer and would like some info about what the laws are for owning and having firearms in CT. AZ laws are such that you can carry a firearm, concealed even, as long as not into govt buildings. We own guns - and have a gun safe - that we keep locked in the home but would carry out hiking, etc - for personal protection, that sort of thing.
also, any laws on owning reptiles? we own small to medium size snakes as pets. they are non-venemous and contained. most are AZ species but a couple are small boas that will not grow any larger than what they are now - about 2 feet. also we like to look for snakes in the wild for photographing only. we have seen the eastern timber rattlesnakes in MA and have photographed them. are we breaking any laws by doing this? we want to be lawful! any information would be helpful. thank you.

[skytrekker]

FYI

State Requirements
Rifles and Shotguns

* Permit to purchase rifles and shotguns? No

* Registration of rifles and shotguns? No

* Licensing of owners of rifles and shotguns? No

* Permit to carry rifles and shotguns? No


Handguns

* Permit to purchase handgun? Yes

* Registration of handguns? No

* Licensing of owners of handguns? No

* Permit to carry handguns? Yes


Other Requirements

* Is there a State waiting period? Yes - 14-day wait to get a permit to buy a handgun.

* Is there a FBI *NICS check for firearm transactions? Yes and a State system is used.

* Permit to carry a concealed weapon required? Yes

* Record of sale: Yes

[cbeakley]

regarding the gun laws....i recently moved from az to ct and have hand guns. i am in the process of obtaining a gun permit it is needed to bring them in to this state if you are caught with it in your vehicle without a permit it is a serious offense please contact the city police of where you will be living to obtain the permit application and you do have to have an NRA approved class plus fingerprints and ncis background check. unlike az there is a 14 day waiting period to pruchase a handgun and you have to have a permit for it. the laws here are very strict and i was lucky to have moved in here with them and have them in my home before i found out the laws. i wish you luck!

Originally Posted by chionactis

moving from AZ to CT this summer and would like some info about what the laws are for owning and having firearms in CT. AZ laws are such that you can carry a firearm, concealed even, as long as not into govt buildings. We own guns - and have a gun safe - that we keep locked in the home but would carry out hiking, etc - for personal protection, that sort of thing.
also, any laws on owning reptiles? we own small to medium size snakes as pets. they are non-venemous and contained. most are AZ species but a couple are small boas that will not grow any larger than what they are now - about 2 feet. also we like to look for snakes in the wild for photographing only. we have seen the eastern timber rattlesnakes in MA and have photographed them. are we breaking any laws by doing this? we want to be lawful! any information would be helpful. thank you.

[adamz]

Regarding handguns: before I moved here, I contacted the Special Licensing Firearms Unit to get the relevant information. You ARE allowed to transpory your handguns into the state when you move. Once you arrive at your new residence, you MAY NOT carry them ANYWHERE - even to a range- without a pistol permit. It doesn't matter whether they're loaded, in a locked case or disassembled: they cannot leave your residence. The state pistol permit allows you to buy handguns, as well as to carry them- and that includes concealed carry.

Regarding the application process: after you take the NRA course, you need to present the course certificate, your birth certificate, and an application form to your local police department. If there is no local PD, I think you go to your nearest state police barracks. You will need a couple of certified checks or money orders, and you will need to be fingerprinted. After completion of the background check, you will be issued a temporary permit. This temporary permit does not allow you to buy a gun. It's not clear whether it allows you to carry or not: I think it does, based on the SLFU FAQ, but opinions vary. It does allow you to go get the final permanent permit, which is good for 5 years.

Can't help you with the reptiles.
Adam

[skytrekker]

On reptiles??

Venomous snakes in captivity-NO
non venomous- contact the state of Connecticut.
Taking pictures of the eastern timber rattlers? Just be sure you are not bit!

[Happy2Shop]

I am curious about the snakes too. I really hadn't given it any thought until I saw this thread, but my child has a "pet" non-venomous snake (cornsnake). We will be moving to CT this summer, I wonder if we are allowed to bring her with us. Hmmm....

[skytrekker]

I do not believe non venomous snakes in Connecticut are a problem-since they are sold at Pet smart and Petco. Keeping any kind of venomous snake or other type of poisonous reptile is unlawful. Alligators also are unlawful.

The state has two indigenous venomous snakes FYI- the Eastern Timber rattler, and the Copperhead. Both are not common, with the rattlers preferring rocks and ledges near the CT river in south Glastonbury and Portland- one of the few areas where they are mostly found.

Also unlawful are 'wild cats' A feline scientifically not considered 'Domestic'.

Connecticut currently has a problem with wild animals such as bears, foxes, coyotes- that are becoming aggressive in rural and even suburban areas. Silly wild turkey's (here when the first settlers arrived 400 years ago) which where nearly extinct 30 years ago, now number nearly 100,000.
They do have organized 'Turkey shoots' here.

[Golden1]

Oh, yeah I can vouch there is an extraordinary amount of wild turkey in Northern CT and toward the New Haven area. At first when I moved up here I thought it was unique and cool, but after a while it's so common that your ignore it.

A surprisingly ton of coyotes as well. I think a lot of wildlife that Skytrekker mentioned was not as common ten to twenty years ago and now the wildlife seem to be making a comeback. A bear sighting could be expected every now and then in the Litchfield CT area, but now we're seeing bear on the fringes of West Hartford. Once a year on the news there would be something about a bear sighting, now it's five or six times a year and in more populated areas. Not that they're an issue it's just wildlife seems to be making a comeback despite development or because of development.

Coyotes are around and some are sizable probably because they've bred with domestic dogs. Connecticut it a weird place because one minute you're in an urban area such as Hartford and less than ten minutes later you're in a suburban/rural area and seeing deer in a field or a coyote looping on the outskirts of a wooded area or turkey crossing the road. Where I live in Northern CT, on the way to work it's like a watered down version of an African plain... you'd pass a large field in which a dozen or so turkey are hanging out and less than fifty yards away in a herd of deer. Then literally one mile later I'm at a busy intersection with strip malls on either side.

The most awesome thing in my opinion is the amount of hawks in the area and the sheer size of some of them.

As far as snakes go... I've seen a garter snake maybe three times in the 18 years I lived up here and not once in my own yard. But if I went sniffing around a pile of rocks near a river bed...

I think the gun laws in CT are middle of the road. Some states make you jump through more hoops to get a gun and/or permit and some states make you jump through less. To get a permit you first need to get a local permit. This means go to your town and apply. The local permit covers only your town. So if you live in say Wethersfield you either go to the police department or town hall (usually police department) and apply for a permit. The police department does the background check and you'll have a local permit (covers only the town) in about 3 - 6 weeks. Now that means you can only carry your weapon concealed in the town limits. You need to get this permit before getting a state permit because the state relies on the town to do the background check. Getting a state permit is just a formality after getting a local one and more money out of your pocket. Once you have a local permit you can get a state permit via mail or go to one of the designated state police headquarters and apply. They will issue you a state permit in seconds. So to get a carry permit you must first go to your local PD and get a local permit than go to the state office and get a state permit. Once you have a state permit you need to update your picture I think every four or five years.

Also to get a local permit you have to take and pass an NRA gun safety course that the town holds on weekends. This is why the state is easy to get once you jump thru the local hoops. BUT you're allowed to own and have a gun in your home without a permit. Just pass the 14 - 15 day background check at the gunshop and you can have a gun on your premises, but you can't carry it around without a permit.

There you go.

[JoethePainter]

Originally Posted by chionactis

moving from AZ to CT this summer and would like some info about what the laws are for owning and having firearms in CT. AZ laws are such that you can carry a firearm, concealed even, as long as not into govt buildings. We own guns - and have a gun safe - that we keep locked in the home but would carry out hiking, etc - for personal protection, that sort of thing.
also, any laws on owning reptiles? we own small to medium size snakes as pets. they are non-venemous and contained. most are AZ species but a couple are small boas that will not grow any larger than what they are now - about 2 feet. also we like to look for snakes in the wild for photographing only. we have seen the eastern timber rattlesnakes in MA and have photographed them. are we breaking any laws by doing this? we want to be lawful! any information would be helpful. thank you.

You`ll want to obtain a Firearms Hunting Licence, this way your covered with shotguns & rifles.....HOWEVER, knives with a 4in or longer are illegal to have in your vehicle.......Firearms are NOT allowed in any town or state park, although
some do allow hunting during season, lottery drawings for that.....good luck

[bigjeff532003]

You may want to check with the DEP about any animals you are moving into the state with. Piranha's are illegal as well as Scorpions and Tarantella's Im not sure what else. Some animals require permits. What kinds of reptiles are you going to be bringing? Maybe some one can tell you if they are for sale here? Corn Snakes are fine here also they sell them all over the place.