(a) There is established a Board of Firearms Permit Examiners, within the Office of Governmental Accountability established under section 1-300, to be comprised of nine members, eight of whom shall be appointed by the Governor to serve during the Governor's term and until such members' successors are appointed and qualify, and one of whom shall be a retired judge of the Superior Court appointed by the Chief Court Administrator. With the exception of two public members, the members appointed by the Governor shall be appointed from nominees of the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection, the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the Connecticut State Association of Chiefs of Police, the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, The Connecticut State Rifle and Revolver Association, Inc., and Ye Connecticut Gun Guild, Inc., and each of said organizations shall be entitled to representation on the board. At least one member of the board appointed by the Governor shall be a lawyer licensed to practice in this state who shall act as chairman of the board during the hearing of appeals brought under this section.

(b) Any person aggrieved by any refusal to issue or renew a permit or certificate under the provisions of section 29-28, 29-36f, 29-37p or 29-38n, or by any limitation or revocation of a permit or certificate issued under any of said sections, or by a refusal or failure of any issuing authority to furnish an application as provided in section 29-28a, may, within ninety days after receipt of notice of such refusal, limitation or revocation, or refusal or failure to supply an application as provided in section 29-28a, and without prejudice to any other course of action open to such person in law or in equity, appeal to the board. On such appeal the board shall inquire into and determine the facts, de novo, and unless it finds that such a refusal, limitation or revocation, or such refusal or failure to supply an application, as the case may be, would be for just and proper cause, it shall order such permit or certificate to be issued, renewed or restored, or the limitation removed or modified, as the case may be. If the refusal was for failure to document compliance with local zoning requirements, under subsection (a) of section 29-28, the board shall not issue a permit.

(c) Any person aggrieved by the action of an issuing authority may file with the board a clear and concise statement of the facts on which such person relies for relief, and shall state the relief sought by the appellant. The receipt by the board of the appellant's statement shall initiate the appeals process, and no appeal may be rejected for mere lack of formality. The board shall, not later than ten days after receipt of the appeal, set a time and place at which the appeal shall be heard. The board, while such appeal is pending, may request such additional information from the appellant and from the issuing authority as it deems reasonably necessary to conduct a fair and impartial hearing, and shall require of the issuing authority from whose decision or action the appeal is being sought a written statement setting forth the reasons for such failure, refusal, revocation or limitation. The failure, absent good cause shown, or refusal of the issuing authority to furnish such written statement, or to supply the appellant with an application, at least ten days prior to the hearing shall be cause for the board to grant the relief sought, forthwith and without further hearing. If the issuing authority shows good cause for its failure to furnish such written statement, the board shall continue the matter to the next scheduled meeting of the board, provided the issuing authority shall be allowed only one such continuance.

(d) The board shall hold hearings at such times and places as it in its discretion reasonably determines to be required, but not less than once every ninety days, and shall give reasonable notice of the time and place of the hearing to the appellant and to the issuing authority. The board shall have the power to compel attendance at its sessions.

(e) All appeals hearings shall be conducted in an informal manner, but otherwise according to the rules of evidence, and all witnesses shall be sworn by the chairman. The board shall cause a verbatim transcript of the hearing to be kept in such manner as it may determine, and shall furnish such transcript to any party appealing its decision as hereinafter set forth. The statements of witnesses made under oath shall be privileged. Decisions of the board shall be by majority vote and shall be communicated in writing to the appellant and to the issuing authority within twenty days after the rendering of the decision. If any issuing authority neglects or refuses to comply with a decision of the board within ten days after notice of the board's decision has been given to such issuing authority, the board shall apply to the Superior Court for a writ of mandamus to enforce the board's decision.

(f) Any person aggrieved by the decision of the board may appeal therefrom in accordance with the provisions of section 4-183.

(g) The board shall serve without compensation, but its members shall be entitled to reasonable subsistence and travel allowances in the performance of their duties.

(1967, P.A. 633, S. 2; P.A. 76-435, S. 39, 82; 76-436, S. 609, 681; P.A. 77-603, S. 16, 125; 77-614, S. 486, 509, 610; P.A. 90-155, S. 2; July Sp. Sess. P.A. 94-1, S. 11; P.A. 98-129, S. 10; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 98-1, S. 120, 121; P.A. 99-212, S. 13; P.A. 11-48, S. 66; 11-51, S. 134; 11-80, S. 1; P.A. 13-3, S. 6, 60, 61; 13-220, S. 18.)

History: P.A. 76-435 replaced director of fisheries and game with commissioner of environmental protection in Subsec. (a); P.A. 76-436 replaced court of common pleas with superior court and added reference to judicial districts in Subsec. (f), effective July 1, 1978; P.A. 77-603 replaced previous detailed appeal provisions in Subsec. (f) with requirement that appeals be made in accordance with Sec. 4-183; P.A. 77-614 replaced commissioner of state police with commissioner of public safety, increased number of board members from five to seven and placed board of firearms permit examiners in the department of public safety for administrative purposes only, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 90-155 amended Subsec. (b) by adding provision re refusal for failure to document compliance with local zoning requirements; July Sp. Sess. P.A. 94-1 amended Subsec. (b) to make provisions applicable with respect to the issuance of a certificate under Sec. 29-36f; P.A. 98-129 amended Subsec. (b) to delete references to Secs. 53-206 and 53-206a; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 98-1 repealed Sec. 10 of P.A. 98-129, thereby nullifying the changes in P.A. 98-129, effective June 24, 1998 (Revisor's note: In 1999 the words “refusal or failure or any issuing authority” in Subsec. (b) were replaced editorially with “refusal or failure of any issuing authority” to correct a typographical error in P.A. 90-155); P.A. 99-212 amended Subsec. (b) to delete references to Secs. 53-206 and 53-206a and make provisions gender neutral; P.A. 11-48 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing provision re board within Department of Public Safety for administrative purposes only with provision re board within Office of Governmental Accountability, effective July 1, 2011; pursuant to P.A. 11-51, “Commissioner of Public Safety” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection” in Subsec. (a), effective July 1, 2011; pursuant to P.A. 11-80, “Commissioner of Environmental Protection” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection” in Subsec. (a), effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 13-3 amended Subsec. (a) to increase membership of board from 7 to 9 by adding retired judge appointed by Chief Court Administrator and nominee of Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services appointed by Governor, amended Subsec. (b) to make provisions applicable to issuance or renewal of certificate under Sec. 29-37p, amended Subsec. (c) to add provision re board to continue matter to next meeting, and not exceeding one continuance, if issuing authority shows good cause for failure to furnish written statement, and made technical and conforming changes, effective July 1, 2013; P.A. 13-220 amended Subsec. (b) to make provisions applicable to issuance or renewal of certificate under Sec. 29-38n, effective July 1, 2013.

See Sec. 4-9a for definition of “public member”.

Cited. 193 C. 7; 209 C. 322.

Cited. 9 CA 169; judgment reversed, see 205 C. 370; 14 CA 376.

Cited. 35 CS 28. Meets requirements of procedural due process. 36 CS 108. Cited. 39 CS 202; 42 CS 157. Board's determination as to plaintiff's suitability to possess a permit is subject to great deference. 46 CS 550.