Pistol Permit Applications Have Gone Through The Roof

In a typical month Berlin officer John Burns says he processes between 10 and 12 pistol permit requests.

Since the Sandy Hook shooting on Dec. 14 of 2012, Burns has said the requests have gone crazy.

"This month I have processed 10 and still have another 29 pending and it's only midway through January," Burns said.

In Rocky Hill, Marilyn Vardal in the Records Division processes the pistol permits for the Rocky Hill Police Dept.

"In an average month we might get five requests," Vardal said. "This month we have 36 pending."

Both towns follow the same procedures for gaining a pistol permit. Those requesting a permit must pass an NRA certification or have military training. They must fill out all applications and pass background checks in which there are many legal prohibitions which would stop the check at that point.

"If they have been convicted of a felony they are done right there," Burns said. "There are also a few misdemeanors that would explude someone from getting a gun like Assault in the third degree. Mental issues are also looked at so it is a pretty rigorous process."

The New Haven Register wrote a story saying that small towns have more permits by percentage than the larger cities. To see the story, click here.

According to the story, about 170,000 people in Connecticut have them, and the number of individuals seeking them has increased in recent years.

To see a graphic showing how many pistol permits are held in each town and the percentage of the population who owns a pistol permit go here.

Berlin is on the higher end of residents with pistol permits. In a town with a population of 19,866, 1,453 residents have pistol permits for 7.3 percent and the number is increasing.

Rocky Hill was on the lower end of pistol permit owners in the state. Rocky Hill has a population of 19,709 with 970 owning pistol permits or 4.9 percent. 

Small towns top the list of pistol permits by percentage.

Town   Permits Population Percentage

Canaan     167     1234         13.5
Union       103      854          12.1
Hartland   242      2114        11.4
Harwinton 646     5642         11.4
Hampton   210     1863         11.3