Kent state Representative Brian Ohler says there's a backlog of firearms transfers being entered into the state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection database. 

He called the gravity of the situation immense.  During a work group with agency leaders yesterday, they they confirmed that about 21,500 transfers are outstanding.  Ohler says that's an increase from the 18,000 that was disclosed to his subcommittee on Friday. 

He notes that tens of thousands of law abiding gun owners in Connecticut could be carrying a legally owned firearm that may not be reflected in the database. 

Ohler says it's a safety issue for police officers and state troopers, especially when they conduct traffic stops or respond to domestic violence calls, because they run serial numbers of those firearms found or disclosed.  But he says a legally purchased or ownership transferred firearm in the last three or four months is not in the database.