Sec. 21-100. License required. Fee. Record of transactions.

      Sec. 21-100. License required. Fee. Record of transactions. (a) No person may engage in or carry on the business of purchasing gold or gold-plated ware, silver or silver-plated ware, platinum ware, watches, jewelry, precious stones or coins unless such person is licensed by the chief of police or, if there is no chief of police, the first selectman of the municipality in which such person intends to carry on such business; except that the provisions of this subsection shall not apply to the purchase of such items from a wholesaler by a manufacturer or retail seller whose primary place of business is located in this state. Such person shall pay an annual fee of ten dollars for such license. The license may be revocable for cause, which shall include, but not be limited to, failure to comply with any requirements for licensure specified by the licensing authority at the time of issuance. A chief of police or first selectman shall refuse to issue a license under this subsection to a person who has been convicted of a felony. A chief of police or first selectman may require any applicant for a license to submit to state and national criminal history records checks. If the chief of police or first selectman requires such criminal history records checks, such checks shall be conducted in accordance with section 29-17a. For the purposes of this subsection "wholesaler" means a person in the business of selling tangible personal property to be resold at retail or raw materials to be manufactured into suitable forms for use by consumers.

      (b) Each such licensed person shall keep a record in which he shall note at the time of each transaction a description of the goods purchased and the price paid for them, the name and address of the person selling the goods and the date and hour any such goods were received. Each such licensed person shall demand positive identification from the person selling the article and the type or form of identification received shall be noted in the record. Any state police officer or municipal police officer shall have access to the record required to be kept under this section and may inspect the place where the business is carried on as well as any goods purchased or received.

      (c) No such licensed person may purchase any goods from a minor unless such minor is accompanied by a parent or guardian. Each such licensed person may only pay for goods received by check, draft or money order and no cash shall be transferred to either party in the course of a transaction subject to the provisions of this section.

      (d) At the time of making any purchase each licensed person shall deliver to the person selling goods a receipt containing the information required to be recorded in subsection (b) of this section, the amount paid for any goods sold and the name and address of the purchaser.

      (e) Upon request of the licensing authority each such licensed person shall make a weekly sworn statement, describing the goods received and setting forth the name and address of each person from whom goods were purchased, to the chief of police or first selectman of each municipality in which he transacted business that week. Such sworn statement shall not be deemed public records for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act, as defined in section 1-200.

      (f) Any person who violates any provision of this section shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars.

      (P.A. 80-477, S. 1, 2; P.A. 81-204; P.A. 83-509, S. 2, 3; P.A. 97-47, S. 23; 97-164, S. 9; P.A. 01-175, S. 19, 32.)

      History: P.A. 81-204 required a police chief or first selectman to refuse issuance of a license to persons convicted of a felony, allowed such officials to fingerprint applicants, provided that the price paid be included in the record and required that no cash be given in a transaction; P.A. 83-509 amended provisions of Subsec. (a) concerning licensure by providing that cause for revocation of license shall include, but not be limited to, failure to comply with any requirements for licensure specified by the licensing authority at the time of issuance; P.A. 97-47 substituted reference to "the Freedom of Information Act" for list of sections in Subsec. (e); P.A. 97-164 amended Subsec. (a) to require any fingerprints taken to be submitted to the F.B.I. for a national criminal history records check; P.A. 01-175 amended Subsec. (a) by making a technical change for purposes of gender neutrality and replacing language re fingerprinting and national criminal history records check with language re state and national criminal history records checks pursuant to Sec. 29-17a, effective July 1, 2001.