On April 4, 2013, Governor Malloy signed into law Bill No. 1160, An Act Concerning Gun Violence Prevention and Children's Safety (Public Act 13-3), in response to the December mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT.  The law imposes a host of new requirements, outlined below.

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY:

• There is an immediate ban on the sale or purchase of magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.
• If you currently have a state Permit to Carry Pistols and Revolvers, you may only load 10 rounds into your firearm when carrying for self-defense pursuant to a Connecticut permit to carry pistols, even if your magazine has the ability to accept more rounds.
• You may not carry a firearm for self-defense if the magazine "extend[s] beyond the bottom of the pistol grip."Many commonly owned handguns have magazines with floorplates that "extend beyond the bottom of the pistol grip, and could therefore be affected by the new law.
• Due to physical characteristics, more than 100 firearms are classified as "assault weapons" and are banned immediately. Click here to see the full list.
• With limited exceptions, individuals have to be at least 21 to purchase any semi-automatic centerfire rifle. This runs contrary to the current federal age limit of 18 to purchase any long gun.
• All firearms sales, deliveries and transfers, regardless of where they take place, must go through a Federal Firearms Licensed (FFL) dealer or through the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP).

EFFECTIVE ON OCTOBER 1, 2013:

Individuals over the age of 18 must obtain an "ammunition certificate" to purchase ammunition and magazines.

- The fee (tax) for this certificate is $35 and must be renewed every 5 years.

- You will be subjected to a criminal background investigation.

- If you already hold a valid state Permit to Carry Pistols and Revolvers or newly created "long gun eligibility certificate," you are exempt from this additional requirement to obtain a separate "ammunition and magazine certificate."

- You can apply for this certificate beginning on July 1, 2013.

EFFECTIVE ON JANUARY 1, 2014:  All currently possessed magazines that have the ability to hold more than 10 rounds must be registered with the DESPP no later than January 1, 2014 under procedures that are still to be determined.

Any non-resident who moves into Connecticut after January 1, 2014 will have 90 days to permanently disable, sell to a gun dealer or take out of state, any magazine that holds more than 10 rounds

Any semi-automatic centerfire rifle that can accept a detachable magazine and has specific cosmetic features, certain semi-automatic pistols and certain semi-automatic shotguns are immediately classified as "assault weapons" and must be registered with the DESPP by January 1, 2014.

- Any non-resident who moves into Connecticut after January 1, 2014 will have 90 days to permanently disable, sell to a gun dealer or take out of state, any firearm that is now classified as an "assault weapon."

- Click here to see if your firearm will need to be registered by January 1 under the new law.

EFFECTIVE ON APRIL 1, 2014: 

Individuals must apply for a "long gun eligibility certificate" through the DESPP to purchase any rifle or shotgun. You are exempt from this requirement if you have a Connecticut permit to carry a pistol or revolver; a pistol or revolver retail sales permit; or a pistol or revolver eligibility certificate.

-The fee (tax) for this certificate is $35 and must be renewed every 5 years.

- You must complete a DESPP- approved firearms training course.

- You must submit fingerprints with your application.

- The DESPP commissioner will have 60 days after the receipt of your application to issue the "long gun eligibility certificate," which can then be presented to a licensed firearms dealer to purchase a long gun.

- You can apply for this certificate beginning July 1, 2013.

The Detroit News reported that "Despite a growing number of restrictive state laws and media campaigns urging drivers to skip calls or texts behind the wheel, a new government study found more than 660,000 American drivers are using cellphones, texting or manipulating electronic devices at any given time during daytime hours."  While the number of wrecks in which drivers were distracted (on a phone, applying makeup, eating, etc.) declined in 2011, the number of people killed in those crashes rose 8% in 2011 to 3,331 fatalities, accounting for one in every 10 traffic deaths, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  Read more.