(a) Except as provided in sections 26-85 and 26-90, firearms and ammunition, adjudged by the court to be contraband pursuant to subsection (c) of section 54-36a, or adjudicated a nuisance pursuant to section 54-33g, shall be turned over to the Bureau of Identification of the Connecticut Division of State Police within the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection for destruction or appropriate use or disposal by sale at public auction.

(b) Firearms and ammunition turned over to the state police pursuant to subsection (a) of this section which are not destroyed or retained for appropriate use shall be sold at public auctions, conducted by the Commissioner of Administrative Services or said commissioner's designee. Pistols and revolvers, as defined in section 53a-3, which are antiques, as defined in section 29-33, or curios or relics, as defined in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 27, Chapter 1, Part 178, or modern pistols and revolvers which have a current retail value of one hundred dollars or more may be sold at such public auctions, provided such pistols and revolvers shall be sold only to persons who have a valid permit to sell a pistol or revolver, or a valid permit to carry a pistol or revolver, issued pursuant to section 29-28. Rifles and shotguns, as defined in section 53a-3, shall be sold only to persons qualified under federal law to purchase such rifles and shotguns and who have a valid long gun eligibility certificate issued pursuant to section 29-37p. The proceeds of any such sale shall be paid to the State Treasurer and deposited by the State Treasurer in the forfeit firearms account within the General Fund.

(P.A. 76-77, S. 5; P.A. 77-614, S. 486, 610; P.A. 85-263, S. 4; P.A. 87-257; P.A. 00-192, S. 42, 102; P.A. 11-51, S. 134; P.A. 13-3, S. 9, 39.)

History: P.A. 77-614 made state police department a division within the department of public safety, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 85-263 added provisions re disposal of firearms at public auction; P.A. 87-257 amended Subsec. (b) to permit more than one annual auction of firearms by deleting restriction that firearms be sold at a public “auction held annually on or before the thirtieth of June”; P.A. 00-192 amended Subsec. (b) to require sale proceeds to be deposited in forfeit firearms account and made technical changes for purposes of gender neutrality, effective July 1, 2000; pursuant to P.A. 11-51, “Department of Public Safety” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection” in Subsec. (a), effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 13-3 amended Subsec. (b) to add requirement that rifles and shotguns only be sold to persons who have a valid long gun eligibility certificate issued pursuant to Sec. 29-37p and make a technical change, effective July 1, 2013, and made section applicable to ammunition adjudged to be contraband or adjudicated a nuisance, effective October 1, 2013.