How will a judge decide whether to order seizure of a person’s firearms?
When a judge is deciding whether a person’s firearms should be seized (removed), the judge must consider many factors, including the person’s:
- recent threats or acts of violence towards other people;
- recent threats or acts of violence towards himself/herself; and
- recent acts of cruelty to animals.1
When deciding if these recent threats or acts of violence give the judge probable cause to believe that a person is at a risk of immediate personal injury to himself/herself or others, the judge can consider other factors, including the person’s:
- reckless (irresponsible) use, display, or flaunting of a firearm;
- history of use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against other people;
- prior involuntary commitment in a hospital for people with psychiatric disabilities; and
- illegal use of controlled substances (drugs) or abuse of alcohol.1
1 Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-38c(b)