The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Correction officer denied gun permit seeks to nix licensing
A correction officer from Waterbury is challenging Connecticut’s pistol permit process with a federal lawsuit after his city’s police chief denied his request for a permit and state officials said he can’t seek an appeal hearing for more than two years, court documents show.
Dillon Severino is seeking an injunction, prohibiting the state from having any gun permit process on the grounds it’s now unconstitutional, according to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that is spawning Second Amendment lawsuits in Connecticut and throughout the country, his attorney said.
The ruling, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. vs. Bruen now requires governments to demonstrate that gun restrictions or regulations are consistent with the nation’s “historical tradition of firearm regulation,” according to Attorney Cameron Atkinson, who is representing Severino in the lawsuit filed Thursday.
Atkinson is also involved in a lawsuit challenging the state’s ban on assault weapons.
“Bruen changed the standard for analyzing Second Amendment cases,” Atkinson said Friday. “The government now has to prove that a regulation was well-accepted between 1700 and 1872.”
Connecticut’s safety would be at risk if the pistol permit process is halted, said Attorney General William Tong, whose office will defend the state in the lawsuit.
“The Supreme Court decision in Bruen identified Connecticut’s handgun licensing scheme as permissible,” Tong said. “We intend to vigorously defend Connecticut public safety and our common sense gun laws. The outcome this suit seeks will do only one thing — it will put Connecticut families at risk and make us less safe.”
The lawsuit claims that Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo turned down Severino’s request for a pistol permit after reviewing police incident reports that involved the correction officer, but didn’t lead to any convictions. Spagnolo did not reach out to his client to discuss the allegations and has never met Severino, Atkinson said.
In a Sept. 21 letter Spagnolo sent to Severino denying the permit, Atkinson said the chief referenced an incident when his client was identified as running a bar that was violating COVID-19 restrictions in February 2021.
“That has to be a case of
mistaken identity because my client has never worked or owned a bar or restaurant,” the attorney said.
Spagnolo also reference that Severino was involved in a fight in the city in 2016, but Atkinson claims he was considered the victim and his client was stabbed during the encounter. Spagnolo denied the permit on “suitability” grounds, the letter said. But there is no “statutory guidelines for officials on how to assess” whether a person is suitable to possess a firearm or a pistol permit, Atkinson said in the lawsuit.
Under state law, residents must apply for a
temporary pistol permit to their local police chief, resident state trooper or selectman or mayor if no law enforcement official exists, the lawsuit stated. It’s up to the official to approve or deny the temporary permit. If the permit is approved, the person then must get a permanent pistol permit from Connecticut State Police, Atkinson said.
If a permit is denied, the person can seek an appeal through the state Board of Firearms Permit Examiners, a part-time appointed volunteer board that holds appeal hearings through the year. Since the board only meets once or twice a
month, the backlog for an appeal hearing is at least two-and-a-half years, Atkinson said.
People who want to purchase or carry a gun outside their home are required to have a pistol permit in Connecticut, the lawsuit stated. In order to obtain a pistol permit, people must provide proof that they have take a pistol and revolver safety course and that they are not prohibited from possessing a firearm according to state laws.
Severino has a tentative appeal hearing date before the Board of Firearms Permit Examiners of May 25, 2025, court documents show.
“He shouldn’t have to wait that long for a hearing,” Atkinson said.
Severino is suing Spagnolo, Gov. Ned Lamont, Chief State’s Attorney Patrick Griffin, James Rovella, the commissioner of the state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, all 13 state’s attorneys and members of the Board of Firearms Permit Examiners.
Atkinson said he planned to file paperwork Friday seeking an injunction barring the state from continuing the permitting process while the lawsuit is pending.
A spokesperson for Lamont declined to comment.