(a) No person, firm or corporation shall sell, deliver or otherwise transfer any pistol or revolver to any person who is prohibited from possessing a pistol or revolver as provided in § 53a-217c.

(b) On and after October 1, 1995, no person may purchase or receive any pistol or revolver unless such person holds a valid permit to carry a pistol or revolver issued pursuant to subsection (b) of § 29-28, a valid permit to sell at retail a pistol or revolver issued pursuant to subsection (a) of § 29-28 or a valid eligibility certificate for a pistol or revolver issued pursuant to § 29-36f or is a federal marshal, parole officer or peace officer.

(c) No person, firm or corporation shall sell, deliver or otherwise transfer any pistol or revolver except upon written application on a form prescribed and furnished by the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection. Such person, firm or corporation shall ensure that all questions on the application are answered properly prior to releasing the pistol or revolver and shall retain the application, which shall be attached to the federal sale or transfer document, for at least twenty years or until such vendor goes out of business. Such application shall be available for inspection during normal business hours by law enforcement officials. No sale, delivery or other transfer of any pistol or revolver shall be made unless the person making the purchase or to whom the same is delivered or transferred is personally known to the person selling such pistol or revolver or making delivery or transfer thereof or provides evidence of his identity in the form of a motor vehicle operator’s license, identity card issued pursuant to § 1-1h or valid passport. No sale, delivery or other transfer of any pistol or revolver shall be made until the person, firm or corporation making such transfer obtains an authorization number from the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection. Said commissioner shall perform the national instant criminal background check and make a reasonable effort to determine whether there is any reason that would prohibit such applicant from possessing a pistol or revolver as provided in § 53a-217c. If the commissioner determines the existence of such a reason, the commissioner shall (1) deny the sale and no pistol or revolver shall be sold, delivered or otherwise transferred by such person, firm or corporation to such applicant, and (2) inform the chief of police of the town in which the applicant resides, or, where there is no chief of police, the warden of the borough or the first selectman of the town, as the case may be, that there exists a reason that would prohibit such applicant from possessing a pistol or revolver.

(d) No person, firm or corporation shall sell, deliver or otherwise transfer any pistol or revolver, other than at wholesale, unless such pistol or revolver is equipped with a reusable trigger lock, gun lock or gun locking device appropriate for such pistol or revolver, which lock or device shall be constructed of material sufficiently strong to prevent it from being easily disabled and have a locking mechanism accessible by key or by electronic or other mechanical accessory specific to such lock or device to prevent unauthorized removal. No pistol or revolver shall be loaded or contain therein any gunpowder or other explosive or any bullet, ball or shell when such pistol or revolver is sold, delivered or otherwise transferred.

(e) Upon the sale, delivery or other transfer of any pistol or revolver, the person making the purchase or to whom the same is delivered or transferred shall sign a receipt for such pistol or revolver, which shall contain the name and address of such person, the date of sale, the caliber, make, model and manufacturer’s number and a general description of such pistol or revolver, the identification number of such person’s permit to carry pistols or revolvers, issued pursuant to subsection (b) of § 29-28, permit to sell at retail pistols or revolvers, issued pursuant to subsection (a) of said section, or eligibility certificate for a pistol or revolver, issued pursuant to § 29-36f, if any, and the authorization number designated for the transfer by the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. The person, firm or corporation selling such pistol or revolver or making delivery or transfer thereof shall (1) give one copy of the receipt to the person making the purchase of such pistol or revolver or to whom the same is delivered or transferred, (2) retain one copy of the receipt for at least five years, and (3) send, by first class mail, or electronically transmit, within forty-eight hours of such sale, delivery or other transfer, (A) one copy of the receipt to the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection, and (B) one copy of the receipt to the chief of police of the municipality in which the transferee resides or, where there is no chief of police, the chief executive officer of the municipality, as defined in § 7-148, in which the transferee resides or, if designated by such chief executive officer, the resident state trooper serving such municipality or a state police officer of the state police troop having jurisdiction over such municipality.

(f) The provisions of this section shall not apply to antique pistols or revolvers. An antique pistol or revolver, for the purposes of this section, means any pistol or revolver which was manufactured in or before 1898 and any replica of such pistol or revolver provided such replica is not designed or redesigned for using rimfire or conventional centerfire fixed ammunition except rimfire or conventional centerfire fixed ammunition which is no longer manufactured in the United States and not readily available in the ordinary channel of commercial trade.

(g) The provisions of this section shall not apply to the sale, delivery or transfer of pistols or revolvers between (1) a federally-licensed firearm manufacturer and a federally-licensed firearm dealer, (2) a federally-licensed firearm importer and a federally-licensed firearm dealer, or (3) federally-licensed firearm dealers.

(h) If the court finds that a violation of this section is not of a serious nature and that the person charged with such violation (1) will probably not offend in the future, (2) has not previously been convicted of a violation of this section, and (3) has not previously had a prosecution under this section suspended pursuant to this subsection, the court may order suspension of prosecution. The court shall not order suspension of prosecution unless the accused person has acknowledged that he understands the consequences of the suspension of prosecution. Any person for whom prosecution is suspended shall agree to the tolling of any statute of limitations with respect to such violation and to a waiver of his right to a speedy trial. Such person shall appear in court and shall be released to the supervision of the Court Support Services Division for such period, not exceeding two years, and under such conditions as the court shall order. If the person refuses to accept, or, having accepted, violates such conditions, the court shall terminate the suspension of prosecution and the case shall be brought to trial. If such person satisfactorily completes his period of probation, he may apply for dismissal of the charges against him and the court, on finding such satisfactory completion, shall dismiss such charges. If the person does not apply for dismissal of the charges against him after satisfactorily completing his period of probation, the court, upon receipt of a report submitted by the Court Support Services Division that the person satisfactorily completed his period of probation, may on its own motion make a finding of such satisfactory completion and dismiss such charges. Upon dismissal, all records of such charges shall be erased pursuant to § 54-142a. An order of the court denying a motion to dismiss the charges against a person who has completed his period of probation or terminating the participation of a defendant in such program shall be a final judgment for purposes of appeal.

(i) Any person who violates any provision of this section shall be guilty of a class C felony for which two years of the sentence imposed may not be suspended or reduced by the court, and five thousand dollars of the fine imposed may not be remitted or reduced by the court unless the court states on the record its reasons for remitting or reducing such fine, except that any person who sells, delivers or otherwise transfers a pistol or revolver in violation of the provisions of this section knowing that such pistol or revolver is stolen or that the manufacturer’s number or other mark of identification on such pistol or revolver has been altered, removed or obliterated, shall be guilty of a class B felony for which three years of the sentence imposed may not be suspended or reduced by the court, and ten thousand dollars of the fine imposed may not be remitted or reduced by the court unless the court states on the record its reasons for remitting or reducing such fine, and any pistol or revolver found in the possession of any person in violation of any provision of this section shall be forfeited.