It comes as no surprise to the well informed gun owners across the state, but the State Police are finally admitting something they have been reticent to do so far: There is no requirement to conceal your firearm when carrying it in public. If you have a handgun, you need a permit to open carry or to carry concealed.
For several years, Connecticut Carry and its directors along with active gun owners have pushed the state to put an end to bad arrests of people who are lawfully carrying their firearms unconcealed. Police departments have been sued in Federal court over this issue and still the State Police stood by, mostly silent on the issue. Finally, Connecticut Carry has come into possession of a training memo issued to State Police officers across the state that should put the issue of whether someone can be arrested for lawfully carrying a firearm unconcealed to bed once and for all.
Key points from the memo:
“In Connecticut there is NO state statute which makes it illegal for someone with a valid permit to openly carry a pistol in plain view”
“State Police personnel should NOT arrest a properly permitted individual merely for publicly carrying a hand gun or firearm in plain view”
“a complaint from someone that they were merely alarmed or in fear of an openly carried firearm would not arise to the level of a ‘breach of peace’ situation”
The memo simply confirms what informed Connecticut gun owners have known for a long time, open carry is legal in the State of Connecticut.
Will the politicians like Michael Lawlor now apologize for their statements that were clearly so incorrect and dishonest about this issue, or will they continue to stand by their assertions while the State Police break ranks and abandon them?
The memo can be found here: http://www.ctcarry.com/Document/Download/a034b530-1221-425d-a99f-53af710ff219
This memo was uncovered through an investigation by Connecticut Carry Director Ed Peruta and Attorney Rachel Baird and we appreciate their efforts in securing this document in an expedited fashion as soon as they caught word of it. This will hopefully be timely to help keep other citizens from being arrested for no reason.
More information on this issue can be found on http://www.ctcarry.com.
Connecticut Carry is dedicated to advancing and protecting the fundamental civil rights of the men and women of Connecticut to keep and bear arms for defense of themselves and the state as guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Constitution of Connecticut.
Contact:
Richard Burgess
President
Connecticut Carry, Inc
Ph: 203-208-9577
Email:
http://www.ctcarry.com
