MatthewVanitas
Member
A report on the gun-buying/owning process in Washington DC as of 2010. I've been reading the actual current DC policies, available starting here: Metropolitan Police Department - Gun Registration.
Some highlights, many of which I found surprising, so may surprise many members here:
In any case, the general vibe is that, legally, it's better than IL and maybe a few other states, but not quite as "good" as CA except in having a looser "safe list". Clearly, this doesn't exactly make it Montana or Vermont, but considering that it was de facto impossible to have guns in DC just a couple years ago, this is a pretty significant step forward.
In any case, just wanted to summarise the basic gun situation in DC these days. If there's any sneaky end-runs they're pulling that aren't clear on the site, those would be great to hear. Also, rumours aside, if anyone has personal knowledge of the FFL situation in DC (any dealers, any with <$100 transfers), that'd be cool.
Hope this clears up a few misapprehensions (which I myself shared), and if nothing else shows that a state/district can indeed "rise" from a Brady Campaign A+ to a B+ through the concerted effort of the gun community and force of the Constitution.
Moved personal perspective info down here
I dug around a little about this subject on THR, and it appears there's a ton of misinformation and outdated information on this subject. Plus lots of good, old-fashioned kneejerking.
I'm reading up on the subject, as I currently live just into VA, literally 10min walk or less from DC, and am considering buying property in DC after I return from a civilian deployment to Afghanistan this year. Before folks weigh in with all the "why on earth...", I'll just note that DC has some affordable "developing" areas, excellent mass-transit that can make my car about needless (keeping my Triumph motorbike though), and easy access to the kind of nightlife and cultural events a 30yr old enjoys.
I have absolutely zero interest in moving halfway into the middle-of-nowhere VA with 90min commute through horrendous traffic each way, just to get more square footage, a yard for a dog I don't have, and "good schools" for kids I don't have.
I dunno, if I move up into the City, I figure I'm best to get either a Remington 7615 .223 pump-gun with 10rd AR-15 mags, or else a (shudder) Mini-14 as my main longarm. Then something concealable in a pinch (in case of utter disaster), such a basic 642, or get ritzy and get a 396 .44Spl L-frame. Can't use any of my older S&Ws since they're "unsafe". EDIT: Turns out my CZ 75D is kosher, would go with that.
Some highlights, many of which I found surprising, so may surprise many members here:
- Registration: Registration is mandatory for all firearms in the District. You can currently register pistols, revolvers, rifles, and shotguns. The brief and wacky period of "revolvers only" has gone away.
- Mag capacity: The old "if it can conceivably accept 10+ rounds, it's a machine gun" appears to be gone, replaced by a blanket prohibition on 10+ mags themselves.
- Costs and Fees: Despite rumours of "hundreds of dollars in fees and psychological screenings", the clearly-labeled fee schedule indicated $48 for long-guns and $60 for handguns, total. EDIT: There's apparently also a mandatory class, which can cost you $150+.
- Prohibited firearms: They do ban "assault weapons" and "unsafe handguns". Basically the CA DOJ list, with some quirks from MD which apparently help on some things, plus they apparently don't drop guns once they're on, unlike CA's annual requirements. The assault weapon list is pure GW-41 era, keeping us safe from those dastardly AR-70s and Valmet M62s running rampant on our streets. EDIT: C&R handguns are apparently kosher, per the MPD Registration Hotline.
- Importing: unlike CA you can't import "unsafe" guns, so no moving into DC with your S&W 28. That also prevents CA's "I moved here from NV with my S&W 28... and felt like selling it a year later" loophole. EDIT: I understand that you can only register 1 gun per month, so importing a larger collection may take a while...
- NFA and .50: All NFA gear, and .50 BMG, are banned. Not ".50 calibres", just .50 BMG, so .50 DTC, .50 FUCA, etc. are presumably kosher. Though honestly it's a little vague about "12.7mm equivalent to .50 BMG". Though there is absolutely no location to shoot a .50 BMG in the district, so if you had one you might as well store it in VA or WV anyway. But the principle bites. Surprisingly, .500 S&W revolvers are specifically listed as permitted.
- Ammo: you can't own ammo unless you have a DC-registered firearm in that calibre.
- General kookiness: perusing their detailed rules, there are few oddities. You have to be 21 to register anything, unless you're 18+ and have a signed statement of liability from a guardian. There's also a blurb about how they can deny your permit if you've ever been found negligent in a shooting incident.
In any case, the general vibe is that, legally, it's better than IL and maybe a few other states, but not quite as "good" as CA except in having a looser "safe list". Clearly, this doesn't exactly make it Montana or Vermont, but considering that it was de facto impossible to have guns in DC just a couple years ago, this is a pretty significant step forward.
In any case, just wanted to summarise the basic gun situation in DC these days. If there's any sneaky end-runs they're pulling that aren't clear on the site, those would be great to hear. Also, rumours aside, if anyone has personal knowledge of the FFL situation in DC (any dealers, any with <$100 transfers), that'd be cool.
Hope this clears up a few misapprehensions (which I myself shared), and if nothing else shows that a state/district can indeed "rise" from a Brady Campaign A+ to a B+ through the concerted effort of the gun community and force of the Constitution.
Moved personal perspective info down here
I dug around a little about this subject on THR, and it appears there's a ton of misinformation and outdated information on this subject. Plus lots of good, old-fashioned kneejerking.
I'm reading up on the subject, as I currently live just into VA, literally 10min walk or less from DC, and am considering buying property in DC after I return from a civilian deployment to Afghanistan this year. Before folks weigh in with all the "why on earth...", I'll just note that DC has some affordable "developing" areas, excellent mass-transit that can make my car about needless (keeping my Triumph motorbike though), and easy access to the kind of nightlife and cultural events a 30yr old enjoys.
I have absolutely zero interest in moving halfway into the middle-of-nowhere VA with 90min commute through horrendous traffic each way, just to get more square footage, a yard for a dog I don't have, and "good schools" for kids I don't have.
I dunno, if I move up into the City, I figure I'm best to get either a Remington 7615 .223 pump-gun with 10rd AR-15 mags, or else a (shudder) Mini-14 as my main longarm. Then something concealable in a pinch (in case of utter disaster), such a basic 642, or get ritzy and get a 396 .44Spl L-frame. Can't use any of my older S&Ws since they're "unsafe". EDIT: Turns out my CZ 75D is kosher, would go with that.
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