DOJ Opens Civil Rights Investigation Into Firearm Permit Delays in Two Connecticut Cities

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division announced Thursday that it has opened an investigation into the cities of Middletown and Waterbury, Connecticut, to determine whether their police departments unnecessarily delay the issuance of firearm permits to residents.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said the inquiry will focus on the permitting systems of the two police departments. “All law-abiding Americans have a constitutional right to bear arms for self-defense,” Dhillon said. “This right is not a luxury reserved for a privileged few, but a fundamental liberty for all, including the residents of Middletown and Waterbury, Connecticut.”

The department cited the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which held that the right to keep and bear arms applies equally inside and outside the home and warned against “lengthy wait times in processing license applications” that effectively deny ordinary citizens the right to public carry. Dhillon said the Middletown and Waterbury departments “may be unreasonably denying otherwise qualified applicants a CCW permit and forcing them to undergo a potentially years-long appeal process to exercise this fundamental right.”

The investigation is being conducted under the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which authorizes the Justice Department to examine whether state or local law enforcement agencies engage in a pattern or practice that deprives people of rights protected by the Constitution or federal law. Formal notification letters were sent to the mayors and police chiefs in both cities. The letters state that the department has not reached any conclusions and will examine policies and practices regarding the issuance of permits under Connecticut law, including delays and denials.

Waterbury police said they were aware of the investigation and would cooperate fully. The Middletown Police Department acknowledged receipt of the correspondence and said the matter was under review; a subsequent statement indicated the department was taking the inquiry seriously and would cooperate.

The federal action follows a 2025 state audit that found the Connecticut Board of Firearms Permit Examiners, which hears appeals of permit denials and revocations, had a backlog of 1,203 cases, with applicants facing waits of months for hearings. Connecticut law requires applicants to first obtain a local pistol permit from a municipal police department before applying for a state permit. The state maintains an assault-weapon ban enacted after the 2012 Sandy Hook shootings and has faced other Second Amendment litigation, including a recent preliminary injunction blocking a law restricting certain devices that increase a handgun’s rate of fire.

No public timetable for the investigation’s completion has been announced. The Civil Rights Division’s Second Amendment Section is handling the matter and has invited individuals who believe their right to keep and bear arms has been infringed to submit complaints online.