To carry a gun on duty in Connecticut, a security officer needs three things: the security officer license (the guard card), a Connecticut State Pistol Permit, and a special permit from the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP) known as the blue card. The blue card is on top of the pistol permit, not a replacement for it (C.G.S. 29-161z). This guide covers the armed side; the Connecticut security officer license guide covers the guard card itself.
Who needs the blue card
- Any employee of a licensed security service, and any employee a company hires to work as a security officer, uniformed or not, who carries a pistol, revolver or other firearm on duty or directly to or from work (29-161z(a)).
- Your employer can't let you carry until it has proof that you hold the blue card.
- Armed officers must be 21 or older.
Step 1: the guard card
- Every armed officer is first a licensed security officer: at least 8 hours of approved training, a $100 fee and a 5-year card from DESPP's Special Licensing and Firearms Unit (SLFU).
- Your employer registers you with SLFU once you are licensed.
Step 2: the state pistol permit
- Who qualifies. 21 or older and a legal resident of the United States. A felony or any of 11 misdemeanors listed in the statute disqualifies you, as do certain protective and risk protection orders and some recent psychiatric commitments. The issuing authority can also deny someone it finds unsuitable.
- A handgun safety course first, at least the NRA Basic Pistol Course, with live fire from a real semi-automatic pistol or revolver. The NRA Home Firearms Safety and First Steps Pistol Orientation courses don't count.
- Apply in your town. The police chief where you live takes the application for a temporary state permit, with fingerprints, photos and a record check. In a town without a police chief, it's the town's chief executive officer, such as the first selectman, or a state trooper they designate (C.G.S. 29-28(b)). The issuing authority has 8 weeks to decide. DESPP then issues the state permit, good for 5 years.
- $140 plus the FBI record check fee. $70 stays with the town and $70 goes to DESPP. Renewal is $70 (C.G.S. 29-30).
- Denied? You can appeal to the Board of Firearm Permit Examiners.
- Nonresidents apply directly to SLFU for a nonresident state permit.
Step 3: the firearms course and the blue card
- An 8-hour training and firearms qualification course with the firearm you will carry at work, taught by a DESPP-approved firearms instructor, at your expense.
- The instructor signs form DPS-1030. The form comes only from an approved instructor; it can't be downloaded. DESPP publishes the list of approved instructors.
- Send DPS-1030 to SLFU with the $62 fee. Fees under the statute aren't refundable.
- A temporary permit is possible. DESPP can issue one while the blue card is processed, if you applied and finished the course right after you were hired (29-161z(b)).
Keeping it
- The blue card expires with your state pistol permit and renews for 5-year periods.
- A refresher course every year, through the same process: an approved instructor and form DPS-1030.
- The pistol permit renewal letter arrives about 90 days before it expires. You must tell the issuing authority within two business days of any change of address (C.G.S. 29-28(b)).
Fines
- $75 per offense for carrying without the blue card, and $75 per offense for a company that lets you. Each day of a continuing violation counts as a separate offense (29-161z(f)).
- The company can also lose its security service license, and DESPP can suspend or revoke a blue card after a hearing.
Pay
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 12,100 security guards in Connecticut in May 2025, at a median of $19.19 an hour, 91 cents above the national guard median. A quarter earned $17.36 or less and the top tenth $28.47 or more. Security supervisors had a median of $26.92. BLS doesn't report armed and unarmed pay separately.
Becoming a firearms instructor
- Instructors need DESPP approval: a $40 application under oath, renewed every 2 years for $40.
- No one convicted of a felony, a sexual offense or a crime of moral turpitude can be approved (29-161z(d)).
How tessura helps
An armed officer in Connecticut tracks four dates: the guard card, the pistol permit, the blue card that shares its date, and the yearly refresher. tessura is free for guards: keep all four in the credential wallet and get reminders at 60, 30 and 7 days before each one is due.
tessura is not affiliated with the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection or any state agency. Rules change, so confirm anything you rely on with DESPP's Special Licensing and Firearms Unit.