Connecticut requires vendors of firearms to maintain records of sales.¹ Required information for such records includes the date of the sale or other disposition of a firearm, the date of receipt of the firearm (if different from the date of transfer), the name and address of the transferor, the name of the manufacturer and importer (if any), the model, serial number, type, and the caliber or gauge of the firearm, and the name and address of a person purchasing or receiving the firearm.².

A separate recordkeeping provision requires any person, firm or corporation selling a pistol or revolver to give a receipt to the purchaser of the handgun containing the name and address of the purchaser, the date of sale, the caliber, make, model and manufacturer’s number of the handgun, a general description of the handgun, the identification number of the purchaser’s permit to carry a handgun, permit to sell firearms at retail, or eligibility certificate for a handgun, the authorization number for the transfer issued by the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP), and the purchaser’s signature.³ The seller must provide a copy of the receipt, within 48 hours of the sale, to the Commissioner of DESPP and local law enforcement. The seller must retain a copy of this receipt for a minimum period of five years.⁴

For transfers of long guns (rifles and shotguns) at retail, the purchaser must sign in triplicate a receipt for the gun containing his or her name and address, date of birth, place of birth, the date of sale, the caliber, make, model and manufacturer’s number of the long gun, and a general description of the gun.⁵ The vendor must transfer one copy of the receipt to the Commissioner of DESPP and another receipt to the local law enforcement authority within 24 hours of delivery of the gun to the purchaser. The vendor must retain the final receipt with the original purchase application for at least five years.⁶

Finally, any person, firm or corporation who seeks to sell a long gun at retail or a handgun (whether a licensed dealer or private seller) must have the transferee complete a written application and retain the application for at least 20 years or until he or she goes out of business, and must make the application available for inspection during normal business hours by law enforcement.⁷

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1. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-31.[↩]
2. See 27 C.F.R. § 478.125(e).[↩]
3. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-33(e).[↩]
4. Id.[↩]
5. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-37a(d).[↩]
6. Id.[↩]
7. Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 29-33(c), 29-37a(d).[↩]