New Canaan Police Resume Issuing Temporary Pistol Permits

New Canaan Police Chief Leon Krolikowski announced Friday morning that his concerns about how temporary pistol permits were issued have been resolved after communicating with the state Department of Public Safety and Public Protection, and issuing the permits in New Canaan has resumed.

On Thursday, Krolikowski had announced that New Canaan police would halt issuing the temporary permits until mental-health records were made available to the department, as seemed to be required under state law.

Krolikowski said Thursday that the department had recently confirmed that a check of mental health records was needed before the temporary permits were issued.

On Hersam Acorn Newspapers online “radio” show (heard from the Home page of the New Canaan Advertiser), Krolikowski said in an interview early this afernoon that New Canaan and other police will call the Connecticut State Police weapons unit with applicant names and information. That office will check mental health records and tell police whether the applicant is part of a state database which would prohibit issuance of a permit.

“State police are going to send a packet of information to all chiefs of police in the state” to clarify how the process will take place, Krolikowski said. “This isn’t about anti-guns, anti-Second Amendment. This is about safety.”

Krolikowski said he didn’t want to issue temporary permits that might put someone in danger.

On Friday morning, Krolikowski sent out this announcement:

This morning, we confirmed and clarified a protocol with the Department of Public Safety and Public Protection, which allows us to resume issuing Temporary State Pistol Permits.

We are glad this issue is resolved.