It's only been a week since the Department of Justice announced it was investigating the issuance of concealed carry permits in Middletown and Waterbury, Connecticut, but there's already evidence emerging that at least one of the towns has a serious problem.
Waterbury is responsible for more firearm permit denial hearings than any other locality in the state, and it's not really even close. According to data from the Board of Firearms Permit Examiners (BFPE) Waterbury residents have nearly 80 hearings on gun permit denials scheduled between now and June 2027. CT Insider reports that's about four times as many as Bridgeport and East Hartford, which each have about 16 denial appeals in the pipeline.
Attorney Diane Whitney, chair of Connecticut's firearm board, said Waterbury frequently is on the agenda for hearings on gun permit denials.
"We see Waterbury at every meeting," Whitney said. "I'm not sure how to interpret that but we do get a lot of cases from Waterbury."
Waterbury is very careful in the way it examines and presents cases, she added. "I wouldn't say Waterbury's denials are frivolous," Whitney said. "They may be a little conservative, but that's understandable."
In a "sha...