Are stripped lowers in CT legal?

I had an 07 FFL when I lived in CT. It was a piece of cake. With gunsamerica.com and gunbroker.com its not difficult to show that you sincerely intend to engage in commerce in firearms without any storefront.

The key is zoning approval.
The key to zoning approval is something called the home occupation. A carve out for a home occupation is written into every town's zoning regs. Essentially a home occupation can not create a nuisance with signage, traffice, noise, dust, effluent, etc. If the business does not adversely affect the residential nature of the neighborhood, you are nearly assured approval.

I've helped several people get home FFLs in CT. In only one case did they need to go to the zoning committee because the zoning enforcement officer refused. In that case the board approved the application.

Don

p.s. Selling glocks for a $50 profit is not worth your time. What the business model I presented to the ATF included was:
1) providing firearms to my students. Too many of them went to gun shops after taking classes with me and were sold the WRONG gun. Case in point, one guy was steered towards a Kahr PM40 as his first carry gun. Holy recoil batman.
2) Doing assault weapons ban compliance conversions of firearms that were rare and difficult to get in a compliant format in CT. Like a SCAR 17. I could make $400 on that and still be less than the whores who were trying to charge $4000 for a converted gun. PA 13-3 ruined that part of the business.
 
My FFL paperwork is at the ATF. Going for 07 Mfg. 60 days or so I should have my FFL back.
Town approved the location.
 
Yes the same location where I had my FFL before. Soon the only people that will be able to own guns are cops and FFL dealers... Just Waiting now. The store is still there ready to go....
 
I am in the middle of having my home property change to Business Zone Also. Just waiting for the Vote from the Zoning Board.
 
Next week The Zoning board should vote. I am on a state highway and the Board already said that business should grow along the state highway.

"My FFL Store" Will be the name of the New Business. People that
Know what FFL Means will know I am selling Firearms..
 
Last edited:
Do be aware that if you are shot down, you can reapply as a home occupation. There will be restrictions on signage, parking, etc. But you can still have the home FFL and do a good business via gunbroker and gunsamerica. Either way, let me know how it goes. What town??
 
Shot down by the zoning enforcement officer when you apply for a zoning permit for the business. If the ZEO refuses, then you go to the zoning board of appeals (ZBA).

I just reread what you wrote. you said the town approved, so I assume you were talking about zoning.
 
Very cool. Like I've said all along. The ATF cares about only 2 things.
1) that you intend to engage in commerce in firearms.
2) that you are in compliance with state and local laws.

Beyond that, its a simple administrative process. Period.
 
Very cool. Like I've said all along. The ATF cares about only 2 things.
1) that you intend to engage in commerce in firearms.
2) that you are in compliance with state and local laws.

Beyond that, its a simple administrative process. Period.



The ATF IOI told me that selling an AR stripped lower is not selling an AW.
 
Like Ma. Nothing is legal in CT the Unconstitution State.

That is absolutely wrong and a stupid thing to say since people who are new to guns come here for information. And this is bad information.

Lots of stuff is legal. In fact, with the judicious application of cash, you can buy your way around almost every CT gun law on the books except for the magazine capacity law.

Come on . . test me.
 
Still looking for a legal AR style lower to sell, I think I have come up with something. But not sure yet.
Question, What makes an ar style lower illegal ?? or legal? Can a lower with a fixed mag be sold? Then the owner can build a legal under
ct law later? like an ...other or bolt action or pump?
 
Your Funny, Lowers can be sold if they are legal to own, there are lowers that are sold now in the state. As long as the lower
has a fixed Mag and you need tools to remove the Mag you can own it. Who told you that you cannot. You can also own a
" OTHER " that is not a rifle or a pistol with an AR mag that is not fixed. Just do not build the lower into any type of AW type.

I for one like the Fixed Mag as you have much more freedom as the Fixed Mag Lower gives
you much more flexibility when building the firearm.

I have AR lowers that have Fixed Mags that
can Change the Mags from the outside of the Lower with two Tools and use the standard AR Magazine. Not like some of the Fixed Mags that have to be removed from the inside and do not take regular AR 10 round Magazines.
 
Last edited:
When our new SCJ gets put on the bench a lot of gun-related state guns laws should fall. I hope the CCDL has already filed with
the Supreme Court to repeal many if not all illegal gun laws put into place. If we cannot win now we will never win.
 
Actually, a standard mil-spec or similar detachable mag lower is perfectly legal in CT.

You just can't build it into a centerfire rifle with a detachable mag and any evil features.

See my posts in this thread numbers 13, 14, and 22.

You don't need to build a fixed mag gun to be legal. In fact with some of the non pistol grip formats coming out, you could build a fully functional centerfire semi-auto rifle with no evil features on a standard lower.

Don
 
Last edited:
Don California featureless Rifles ok, Now we need some direction on Connecticut legal Rifles.
I really do not know why the CCDL does not push the state to rule on what is legal so we
can all follow the law as insane as it is. I have Contacted them many times and have never received a reply.

The state is so tight lipped on firearm matters just does not make sense at all.

Shame on the CCDL but I hope they reapply to the Highest Court after Kavanaugh is sitting on the bench. I do not hold my Breath.
 
The CT law is pretty straight forward, isn't it? Come to MA if you want confusing.
 
It seems pretty clear to me.

Also there is no "rule". The only rule that matters is that which would happen if someone were arrested and it went to trial. The DESPP can offer an opinion. They have in the past.

So to copy and paste what I wrote at the beginning of this thread.
An AR style lower (that is not on the named list) is simply a firearm receiver. It can be built into either a compliant firearm or a non-compliant assault weapon.

An AR lower in this respect is no different from a Glock frame or a Remington 1100 receiver, all of which are firearm receivers that can be built into either an AW or a compliant firearm.

This is crystal clear if you actually read the law, which begins the assault weapon definition by stating

"(i) A semiautomatic, centerfire rifle that has an ability to accept a detachable magazine and has at least one of the following:"

If you build it into a rifle that is either not a semi-auto or a semi-auto that does not accept detachable magazines, then it is not an AW no matter what other features it has.

You can also build it legally by using
1) a plain barrel or a barrel with a permanently attached muzzle brake.
2) no bayonet lug
3) a fixed stock
4) a California style grip that is not a pistol grip
5) a combination grip/stock that removes the pistol grip evil feature.

You can also build it into a "firearm" that doesn't fit the definition of a rifle, handgun, or shotgun, like the freedom shoppe and many others have done.
 
Last edited:
Finally, if you build it into a rimfire rifle then you are allowed one "evil" feature. Just like the old AWB. So you could build an AR in .22 LR with a standard pistol grip, plain muzzle and no bayonet lug.

If doing this, I'd not play it cute by simply putting a .22 conversion kit into an otherwise stock AR since you could convert it into an AW simply by removing the .22 conversion kit.

There are a number of ways to make it more difficult to convert to an AW.
1) Solid plastic buffer tube so a buffer and spring can't be installed and a centerfire bolt carrier group can't be used.
2) dedicated .22 barrel without a gas port.
3) standard barrel with an adjustable gas block turned "off" or a CMMG solid unported
gas block, and no gas tube

If it were me, I'd do a plastic buffer and no gas tube. That way I wasn't spending any significant money on non-223 items, but have still made it so significant work needs to be done for it to be an AW.

Look at it this way. If you do it like I have suggested, but then remove the solid plastic buffer tube and replace it with all .223 parts, you are still legal. The gun would then be a straight pull bolt gun, since no gas tube means no semi-auto function.

Don
 
Back
Top Bottom