NSSF Welcomes Federal Court Decision Temporarily Blocking Conn.'s Unconstitutional Gun Ban

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- NSSF^®, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, welcomes the decision by the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut to grant a preliminary injunction preventing Connecticut from enforcing a recently-enacted law that would ban the most popular handguns that are commonly used for self-defense. NSSF filed a challenge to the law and immediately asked the Court for a preliminary injunction, or in the alternative, a temporary restraining order, in NSSF v. Griffin.

"Today's decision by the Court recognizes there are serious constitutional questions with the law Governor Ned Lamont wants to enforce to deny Second Amendment rights to citizens of his state," said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President & General Counsel. "Connecticut conceded this law implicates the text of the Second Amendment and it is therefore presumptively unconstitutional. This is the correct decision to put a hold on this law while the Court can hear arguments exposing the constitutional flaws that grossly trample on the fundamental rights of law-abiding citizens. Connecticut's gun control politicians believe there are no bounds when it comes to infringing on the Second Amendment. The reality is this: the Second Amendment is not a second-class right."

Indeed, U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley noted in her opinion that, "… the Court concludes that Plaintiffs have met their burden of establishing a likelihood of success on the merits. The statute is presumptively unconstitutional, and Defendants have not met their burden of demonstrating that the statute is consistent with our nation's history of firearms regulation."

NSSF contends that Connecticut's Substitute House Bill No. 5043 (HB5043), a law that was slated to go into effect Oct. 1, violates the Second Amendment. That law would have banned the sale of an entire class of handguns with a cruciform trigger, which are among the most popular-selling self-defense handguns in the United States and the same handguns used by Connecticut State Police. These handguns employ a proven 44-year-old design and are marketed and sold as semiautomatic firearms, which are legal for sale and possession by law-abiding citizens under federal law. Over 500,000 handguns of this style are sold in the United States annually. Connecticut politicians sought to ban an entire class of firearms because criminals who, by definition ignore the law, can illegally alter those firearms and criminally-misuse them.

Instead of holding criminals accountable for their crimes, Connecticut Gov. Lamont and gun control supporting politicians in the state sought to punish law-abiding citizens by denying them the full expression of their civil rights.

Connecticut's handgun ban law fails the U.S. Supreme Court's Bruen test. Connecticut will not be able to carry its burden to provide any historical analogue to justify its unconstitutional law. While NSSF warns firearm owners against illegal firearm modification through a "Right Side of Legal^TM" campaign, it also argues that criminals illegally modifying firearms, such as illegally sawing off shotgun barrel or installing illegal "machinegun conversion devices" (MCDs), does not render an intact legally-sold and possessed shotgun or pistol illegal.

About NSSF
NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen's organizations and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org.

SOURCE NATIONAL SHOOTING SPORTS FOUNDATION