Connecticut Statutes

§ 29-38c — Adult posing risk of imminent personal injury to self or others. Firearms or other deadly weapons or ammunition. Warrant for seizure. Risk protection order prohibiting acquisition or possession.

Connecticut § 29-38c
JurisdictionConnecticut
Title 29Public Safety and State Police
Ch. 529Division of State Police

This text of Connecticut § 29-38c (Adult posing risk of imminent personal injury to self or others. Firearms or other deadly weapons or ammunition. Warrant for seizure. Risk protection order prohibiting acquisition or possession.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Connecticut primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-38c (2026).

Text

(a)Except as provided pursuant to section 29-38q in the case of a complaint concerning a child under eighteen years of age, upon complaint on oath by any state's attorney or assistant state's attorney or by any police officer, to any judge of the Superior Court, that such state's attorney, assistant state's attorney or police officer has probable cause to believe that a person who is at least eighteen years of age poses a risk of imminent personal injury to such person's self or to another person, the judge may issue a risk protection order prohibiting such person from acquiring or possessing a firearm or other deadly weapon or ammunition. If such state's attorney, assistant state's attorney or police officer has a good faith belief that such person posing the risk is already prohibited f

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Related

Szekeres v. Schaeffer
304 F. Supp. 2d 296 (D. Connecticut, 2004)
8 case citations
Palmieri v. Kammerer
690 F. Supp. 2d 34 (D. Connecticut, 2010)
7 case citations

Legislative History

(P.A. 99-212, S. 18; P.A. 13-3, S. 33; P.A. 21-67, S. 1; P.A. 23-89, S. 1; P.A. 24-24, S. 11, 12; 24-108, S. 3; 24-137, S. 1.) History: P.A. 13-3 made provisions re seizure and transfer of firearms applicable to ammunition, added Subsec. (f) defining “ammunition” and made technical changes; P.A. 21-67 added language re other deadly weapons and made technical and conforming changes throughout, substantially revised Subsec. (a) by adding language re issuance of a risk protection order, deleting existing Subdivs. (1) and (2) designators, redesignating existing language re person possessing firearms or deadly weapons as Subdiv. (1), redesignating existing Subdiv. (3) as Subdiv. (2), making issuance of a warrant mandatory and adding language re notice to the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection in same, added new Subsec. (b) re risk protection orders, redesignated existing Subsec. (b) as Subsec. (c) and added language re risk protection orders and provided that a copy of the order and warrant be given to the person within a reasonable time and that accompanying notice include court clerk's telephone number for information on time of hearing in same, redesignated existing Subsec. (c) as Subsec. (d)(1) and required the police agency that executed the warrant to file a copy with the court clerk and state's attorney's office in same, added Subsec. (d)(2) re risk protection orders, redesignated existing Subsec. (d) as Subsec. (e) and added language re risk protection orders, reference to Subsec. (f) re termination of order and requirement items seized be returned as soon as practicable following termination of order, proviso re person otherwise legally able to possess items and language re burden of proof for state in same, added new Subsec. (f) re continuation of order and warrant, added Subsec. (g) re removal or cancellation of record of order, redesignated existing Subsec. (e) as Subsec. (h) and specified that a transfer be to a federally licensed firearm dealer rather than any person eligible to possess such firearm or ammunition in same, added Subsec. (i) prohibiting the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection or local police department holding firearms or ammunition from destroying such items until 1 year has passed from termination of warrant and redesignated existing Subsec. (f) as Subsec. (j) and designated definition of “ammunition” as Subdiv. (1) and added Subdivs. (2) to (4) defining “family or household member”, “medical professional” and “deadly weapon” in same, effective June 1, 2022; P.A. 23-89 limited applicability to persons 18 of age or older, changed from 2 to 1 the number of police officers required if seeking a risk protection order and added language retaining requirement for 2 police officers if seeking a warrant and made technical and conforming changes throughout, amended Subsec. (a) by adding provision re good faith belief in the case of a person already prohibited from acquiring or possessing a firearm, amended Subsec. (c) by separating provisions re issuance of an order from issuance of a warrant, deleting provision re issuance of order regardless of whether person is already prohibited from possessing a firearm, replacing language re service within a reasonable time to not later than 3 days prior to the hearing, amended Subsec. (e) by replacing 14 days after service with 14 days after issuance, “or execution of a warrant” with “and, if applicable, a warrant” and “legally able” with “legally eligible”, effective June 29, 2023; P.A. 24-24 made technical changes in Subsecs. (c)(3) and (f); P.A. 24-108 amended Subsec. (c) by adding that required affidavit could be sworn to “, either in person or electronically with simultaneous sight and sound,”; P.A. 24-137 amended Subsec. (c) by adding provision re representation by a public defender or an assigned counsel. Section does not violate second amendment to the U.S. Constitution. 163 CA 36. Subsec. (a): Although respondent's firearms were in the evidence room of the state police barracks, respondent, in the absence of a warrant, could have reclaimed them upon her release from the hospital and therefore she exercised dominion and control over them sufficient to satisfy the warrant application requirement that she possessed one or more firearms. 124 CA 400. Subsec. (d): No clear and convincing evidence defendant posed a risk of imminent personal injury to himself or others. 50 CS 246. Court did not impermissibly shift burden to respondent to show that she did not pose a risk of imminent harm when it stated that in the absence of evidence of treatment respondent was still at risk to harm herself because that was not sole basis for court's decision. 124 CA 400. The 14-day provision is mandatory but subject to waiver. 135 CA 65.

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Bluebook (online)
Connecticut § 29-38c, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/statute/ct/29-38c.