DOJ probes gun permit delays in Middletown and Waterbury

The U.S. Justice Department has opened an investigation into whether police in Middletown and Waterbury, Connecticut, unnecessarily delay or deny firearm permits, including concealed-carry permits. The department says the inquiry will examine the cities’ permitting systems and whether qualified applicants are pushed into lengthy appeals; it cited the Supreme Court’s 2022 Bruen decision, which warned that long processing times can effectively deny the right to carry firearms in public. A 2025 state audit found more than 1,200 cases awaiting hearings before Connecticut’s firearms-permit appeals board, with applicants facing months-long waits. Local officials had not immediately commented, and the Justice Department has not explained why it selected these two cities.